


Unknown Factors

by J_P_Lupine



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Biting, Bringin' the house down, Demons, Don't copy to another site, Dru makes some cameos, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Exophilia, F/M, Feral Behavior, Graphic Description of Violence/Gore, Hair-pulling, He's also a fuckin' dork, Hybrids, Internal Conflict, Kinky, LITERALLY, Long, Monsters, Multiple Dimensions, Multiple Sex Positions, NSFW, Oral Sex, Romance, Sexy Times, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Teratophilia, The Watcher's Council can suck it, Vampires, We all know Spike is a softy on the inside, William the Bloody - Freeform, and, dad Giles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2020-07-08 23:23:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 117
Words: 349,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19877797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/J_P_Lupine/pseuds/J_P_Lupine
Summary: Strange and rather a mystery, a woman shows up in Sunnydale and surprises the gang with the fact that she's Giles' adopted daughter. She soon becomes a part of the group despite her....oddities, and finally gets to taste a little freedom without the Watcher's Council breathing down her neck. Her name is Aud, she loves PB&J's, and she's only half human.





	1. Come on Closer

_'Oh, what should I say?'_ I thought while packing my suitcase. _'What should I do?'_ Pausing with my hands on a pile of clothes, I looked up. _'Oh no, what if I get lost and I never get found because he doesn't know I'm coming?!'_ Shaking my head, I grinned. _'Nah. I don't get lost that easily.'_ Checking the digital clock sitting on the nightstand, I saw that I still had some time until I had to be at the airport. Stuffing the clothes into the suitcase, I zipped it up to close it.

"And now to the weapons." I said out loud while pulling out a duffel bag from under the full sized bed. Once I was done packing my favorite pointy objects, I grabbed my things and headed to the door. I barely saw anyone on my way out, so the goodbyes were fairly easy to get through.  
Thankfully, the taxi was there by the time I got outside and was pulling in just as I was closing the door behind me. I had spent years of my life in this place, but now I was off to America. California, to be more exact.

The cab ride was tolerable, and the line at the airport was exhausting. Thanks to my connections though, I was able to bring my weapons with me aboard the plane. The ride was horrifyingly long, and if I heard another baby cry, I felt I would burst-even if a kid just stared at me for another second. I hurried off the plane as soon as I could and rushed out of the airport.

"Ah! Fresh air!" I breathed in, not having to smell the stench of people and plane food. "Now, how about I take a look around first? I want to get a good sense of Sunnydale before I go see Pops." I said lowly to myself.

~

"Hello?" The man answered the door and his eyes went wide as he looked down at me. "How- What- When-?"

"Pops!" I grinned while dropping my bags and launching myself at the man. "Sorry I missed Thanksgiving, flights were booked and I couldn't get on a plane until it was too late." He gave a small laugh.

"Of course they were." He said while hugging me. "How did the Watcher's Council take your leaving?"

"Eh, the stuffy, old coots said it was fine to come. After some heavy bribing over tea and biscuits, of course." I replied while stepping back. "How have you been?" Just as I asked, the microwave inside went off.

"Oh, come in." Giles pulled me into his home before grabbing my bags and toting them inside. "I've been quite well, actually. And you?"

"Spiffy, as they say." I mocked an English accent while looking around the room. "What are you makin'?" I glanced at the tall man as he went into the kitchen and pulled a yellow mug from the microwave.

"Blood." He sighed. Raising a brow, he just shook his head. "Follow me, there's someone I want you to meet." Pops smiled again. Entering the living room, we passed the little kitchen area. As I followed him, I caught sight of a redheaded woman with her nose in a book on the couch just before we went down a small hallway to the bathroom.

"It's about time. Hope you got it warm enough." I heard a man say, his voice accented like Rupert's. Then, I heard a woman sigh after Giles handed over the mug with a straw. "Who's the bird?"

Glancing around Giles, I saw a young woman with blonde hair sitting on the edge of the tub. In the tub was a man in shackles with bleached hair that was slicked back. _'Only in his house...._ ' I thought after seeing all of the heavy chains.

"Buffy, I'd like you to meet someone." Pops stepped to the side while placing a hand on my shoulder. "This is Aud." The woman raised her brow.

"What's odd?" Looking at her, I realized who she must be.

"No," I smiled. "my name is Aud. You must be the Slayer." I held my hand out to her.

"Oh, sorry." She awkwardly grinned while standing up. "And you must be....?" Buffy glanced to Pops while shaking my hand, giving a _'help me out here'_ look.

"Oh, she's my daughter." He said while pushing up his glasses. Buffy and the bleached hair man both froze. "Not biologically, anyways." Giles added in a lower voice while putting his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah, Pops here took me in when I was little. No offense," I began while looking at Buffy. "but I thought you'd be taller...." I heard the man in the tub snort and the Slayer gave him a look.

"That isn't the first time I've heard that." She smiled.

"Well, dynamite _does_ come in small packages." What I said made her grin while nodding.

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it."

"Oh, let me show you around." Pops touched my shoulder before pointing to the door.

"Okay." Looking back at Buffy, I gave a two-fingered salute. "Nice meeting you, Buffy. I hope we get along since we'll be seeing more of each other."

"Me, too." She waved before I followed Giles out of the bathroom to receive the tour.

"Don't know why your so dainty all of a sudden." I heard as I went out the door. After I was shown the house, I was introduced to the young woman in the living room named Willow. Giles went back to the bathroom, and I sat next to the redhead on the couch.

"So....what's with the guy in the tub?" I asked her. "Some demon informant?"

"Not exactly, but sort of." She said while looking away from her books. Willow then proceeded to fill me in with what was going on by telling a vivid and colorful story.

~

"Giles, make her stop!" I heard someone call from the bathroom.

"If those two don't kill each other...." Pops sighed while pulling out a cloth to clean the lenses on his glasses. "I might lend a hand." He said as he walked in.

"What about a truth spell? I'm not positive it would work on a vampire, but we could try....make him fess up." Willow said while looking to Giles.

"A truth spell, of course." Pops put his glasses back on. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"'Cause you had your hands full with he undead English patient." Willow replied while handing him the book she had been reading.

"Yes. Worth a go." He stated while looking over the spell.

"Looks pretty simple. I'll stop by the magic shop tomorrow." She grabbed a book while standing.

"Excellent."

"All right. I'll be back in the morning with donuts and Motherwort." She walked towards the table in front of the door while putting the book into her bag. "Bye, Buffy. I'll see you at home."

"Bye."

"Great, thank you, Willow." Pops said before going back to the bathroom.

"Bye, Aud. It was a pleasure meeting you."

"You too. Please, don't make yourself a stranger." I told her as she left. Standing up, I walked over to my bags that were set by the door. Digging through the pockets on the duffel, I grabbed my portable CD player and went back to the couch.

After Buffy had left, I caught up with Pops over dinner and he set up the couch for me to sleep on. I actually slept well, and it felt nice not being under the Council's watch. But I woke up fairly early the next morning due to the fact that I was still not used to the time zone change.

Giles was on the phone while pouring tea, and I heard Spike shouting from the bathroom as I stood up and stretched out. When Pops saw me awake, he had this pleading look in his eyes.

"Could you help me out a bit?" I smirked and nodded while patting his shoulder. "Oh, uh, Willow, it's Giles." He turned to the phone. "Would you mind feeding the bloody idiot in the bathroom? The mug is in the microwave. Oh, and turn the TV on, will you?" He said while covering the phone with his hand. "Um, I-I thought you were bringing the ingredients for that spell."

Grabbing the yellow mug with ' _ **Kiss the Librarian**_ ' in bold black letters on it, I headed to the bathroom.

" _Passions_ is on! Timmy's down a bloody well, and if you make me miss it, I'll-" I opened the door as Spike was shouting.

"You'll do what? Lick me to death?" Pops shouted back. I snorted while going into the bathroom.

"What a way to start the day." I grinned. The chained man growled, but I ignored him. _'What a sight it is to witness the infamous Spike 'neutered' and demanding to watch momma shows._ ' My mental voice snickered. "Hungry?" I asked while turning on the TV.

"Of course I bloody am-you better not be squeamish." He said as I was bending over to hold the mug in front of his face.

"Just watch your show and drink." I got down on my knees and leaned on the tub.

"Hey, watch your tone with me. Do you know who I am?"

"The vampire that goes by the name of Spike, A.K.A. William the Bloody. You managed to kill two Slayers, but a little while ago got caught by some people who then made it impossible for you to harm any living human." I placed my cheek in my hand. "Did I miss anything important?" Spike gave me a look while clenching his jaw. Instead of saying anything, he simply went back to looking at the TV and grabbed the straw with his mouth.

"Aud, darling, I'm going to go out for a bit to grab a few things. Do you think you can stay here until I get back?" Giles asked while adjusting his glasses on his head when he walked into the bathroom.

"By that you mean, _'can I stay here so you know I won't be wandering around and get stuck in a bad part of Sunnydale'_?" I asked while looking at him. Pops shifted on his feet before putting his hands into his pockets.

"Uh, well, yes. I can't let you go about town without knowing you can protect yourself."

"Pops, I'm part demon- Of course I can protect myself. But yeah," I sighed. "I'll stay here." Looking back to Spike when he began to cough and choke, I raised a brow.

"You're part what?!" I rolled my eyes before turning back to Giles.

"Thank you, Aud. You know where the kitchen is, and if you get bored you know where all the books are." He said before leaving.

"Now hang on a bloody minute. Why would a Watcher adopt a mixed breed like you? I thought they killed anything demon-y with their _'holier-than-thou'_ attitude." Spike furrowed his brows.

"Yeah, well, I'm not really dangerous....as far as we know...." I shrugged.

"And that's supposed to mean what, exactly?" He asked while taking a drink from the mug. I watched the blood go through the straw with curiosity.

"Technically, no one knows what type of demon is in me. We just know whatever it is, it's strange." I stood up when I noticed the mug was finally empty. "Anyways, just enjoy your show. Shout if you get hungry again, and don't forget." I grinned down at the vampire.

"Forget what?" Spike asked while raising a brow at me.

"That if you ever-and I mean _ever_ \- hurt Giles, I will paint a beautiful picture using your entrails." My grin never wavered and neither did my voice. "Got it?"

"Uh....yeah." He looked at me like I was crazy. "Good to know you're sodding bonkers." Spike said lowly as I was leaving. When Pops returned, I had changed out of my pajamas and had to help him with the bags he was carrying in.

"Ooh, I'm pretty sure I smell food in these bags." I said before heading to the kitchen.

"Yes, if I do remember correctly-you eat like a bloody shire horse." Pops chuckled. "Do you want to do anything in particular today?" He asked while putting up the groceries he had picked up.

"How about you finish telling me all about Buffy and how there's a second Slayer?" I suggested. "You kind of stopped half-way since it was late."

"Oh, yes, of course. Where did I leave off exactly?" And after I reminded him, we spent hours talking. Pops would tell his story and I'd listen, then he'd ask me about my years with the Council and he'd listen. It was a back and forth thing the whole day-save for when Spike shouted about getting his blood.


	2. I wanna show you

_"Enemy, enemy...."_ Pops was reading from a book while waving a bundle of dried sticks at Spike. I was coming back from the bathroom since I could finally use it in privacy. Before, I'd have to close the shower curtain on Spike-but then he'd take the curtain closing as an invitation to start chatting with me. _"Be now quiet."_

"You know....I'm not too keen about this spell stuff. Tends to be unpredictable."

"You might have thought about that sooner." Pops kept waving the small bundle. "Um...." He sighed while looking back at the book. _"Let your deceitful tongue be...."_ He paused and I went to the kitchen. "Uh...." Pops sighed again. _"Be broken._ Uh.... _Let no....untruths be....spoken."_ I raised a brow while turning around to look at Pops. He put down the book before cleaning his glasses.

"Hey. What's that all about?" Spike asked.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing." Giles answered while rubbing his eyes. "Just, uh, an ash in my eye." I rolled my eyes and gave a relieved sigh before turning back to the fridge.

"Well, I won't have you doin' mojo on me if you can't read properly. You could turn me into a stink beetle or what all."

"That would be a generous ending for you, Spike."

"Yeah, and then you wouldn't try to talk to someone when they're trying to pee." Grabbing a bunch of different things, I placed them all on the countertop. "Or complain about missing _Passions_." Hearing a click, I looked up to see Spike on his feet and pushing down Giles. "Pops!" I ran to his side while Spike ran out and I was careful with the old Watcher. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, just-just call Buffy, tell her what's happened." He said as I helped him to his feet. I nodded and went to the phone and Giles told me the number just before I was about to ask for it. Buffy answered fairly quickly, and I told her what was going on in as little words as I could. When she hung up, I looked back to Pops.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. My eyes are a bit irritated, though...." He said while heading to the bathroom. Not long after, the door swung open.

"Hey! Watch it!" Growled Spike as the Slayer pushed him inside.

"One more word out of you, and I swear!"

"Swear what? You're not gonna do anything to me. You don't have the stones." He glared down at Buffy. Clenching my jaw and fists, I left the kitchen.

"Oh, I got the stones. I got a whole bunch of-" She was cut off by me connecting my fist to the side of Spike's face. He went down with a heavy thud before growling at me.

"Hey!"

"What did I tell you, Spike? Huh?!" I snarled while pointing at him. "I'm gonna freaking kill you." Cracking my knuckles, I took a step closer.

"Whoa, hold up there, missy." Buffy grabbed my shoulder. "We all wanna kill him, but you're going to have to get in line." Turning to look at her, she had a hand on her hip. "Nice punch though." Buffy half grinned. "Now, how about you go cool off. You can have him when I'm through."

"Tch, fine." Growling at Spike, I walked off to go check on Giles. He was putting drops into his yes. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing. My eyes are just acting a bit strange." In the background, I could hear Buffy and Spike arguing like children in the living room.

"Uh-huh." I said while crossing my arms.

"Don't give me that look."

"What look? I'm not giving a look."

"I may be somewhat blind at the moment, but I am certainly not stupid nor deaf." He chuckled. "Come on, we need to figure out what's going on in there."

"Okay." I sighed while nodding my head. Helping Pops down the hallway, I noticed it was awfully quiet now.

"If the two of you could remain....civil....long enough to, uh, to-" Giles cut himself off at what we both saw. Buffy was in a chair, ropes were on the ground, and Spike was down on one knee in front of her while holding her hand.

"It's just so sudden. I-I don't know what to say." Buffy was smiling while looking down at the vampire.

"Just say yes....and make me the happiest man on Earth." _'Hold up....is he purposing....?'_ I thought while furrowing my brows.

"Oh, Spike! Of course it's yes!" She said while getting teary-eyed. Then, they both rose to their feet and- _'Sweet Hellfire-oh, my God.'_ They were kissing. Pops looked so confused before pulling off his glasses.

"Giles! You'll never believe what's happened!" And Buffy showed off the skull ring on her finger.

"Should....should I be happy for them? I mean, I thought they hated each other." I mumbled to Giles.

"No, no, I think something is going on. Something magic related." I kept staring at the odd pair before Pops turned away. "I-I need to call Willow."

"And I need to know if this is contagious." I said lowly. After Giles went to make the call, Buffy heated up some blood for Spike as they began to plan their wedding in the living room.

"How about a daytime ceremony....in the park?" I kept staring at the two oddly. _'A Slayer and a vampire....'_ I thought. _'How- Oh, wait! There was Angel, too, wasn't there? Maybe it's not so strange....besides the magic bit....'_

"Fabulous. Enjoy your honeymoon with a big pile of dust." Spike said while writing stuff down in a spiral notebook.

"Under the trees. Indirect sunlight only." Buffy tried to persuade him.

"A warm spring breeze tosses the leave aside, and again, you're registering as Mr. and Mrs. Big Pile of Dust." He said while looking at her.

"Stop it!" Pops came in and sat next to me while holding a glass of either scotch or brandy, I wasn't sure. "This is our wedding and you're treating it like a big joke." Buffy pouted.

"Oh, pouty. Look at that lip, gonna get it." Spike started to grin and I could feel the disgust showing on my face. "Gonna....get it." Then it was back to kissing. Couples were so disgusting....

"Oh, stop." Buffy chuckled.

"Yes. Please stop." Giles said.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom....most likely to lose my lunch." I commented while rising to my feet. Honestly, I never saw the point of dating or marriage or in any of that. I mean, you could catch STD's and other stuff from being with someone, and if you're female, you could get pregnant. Why would anyone want to risk that? _'People who want to have kids, duh.'_ I answered myself mentally. But, then again, kids also put me on edge. They're so small and fragile, you even look at one funny and they cry. So, all in all, couples and anything they did was disgusting. Especially the child bearing part.

When I came back to the living room, Spike was looking through the spell books and Giles was on the couch drinking. Looking closer, I saw another glass and a dark brown puddle on the floor.

"Pops, what happened?" I asked a little concerned.

"Ah, Aud. Uh, it seems whatever spell is affecting me has made completely blind now." He sighed.

"Oh....um, you seem rather calm about it all." I said while grabbing a towel from the kitchen to clean up the mess. When Buffy returned, she was back at the wedding stuff with Spike. On the other hand, I was still hitting the books trying to find an effective reversal spell for whatever was going on.

"So the plan is to cure my total incapacitating blindness tomorrow, is it?"

"They were all out of Taggis Root at the magic shop. They'll have more tomorrow." Buffy said calmly. "I'm completely on top of it." I glanced up at everyone. From what Giles had told me, strange stuff like this tended to happen quite often. ' _I better get used to it all....'_

"Board up the windows! Barricade the doors!" A man shouted as he and a woman burst into the house and blocked the door with furniture.

"Uh, what's going on?" Pops asked while sitting up.

"Demons. They keep coming and coming." The woman said. The two of them walked more into the house, breathing heavy from most likely running.

"I think we lost them, but I couldn't see. Spike! He's all untied!" The man freaked. "Which you probably noticed."

"Xander, calm down, okay? If you lost them, that'll give us some time to figure this out." Buffy turned to Spike. "Maybe the demons have something to do with Giles being blind."

"Giles is blind?" The woman asked before Xander began to mess with Pops.

"Stop....whatever you are doing. You-you smell like Fruit Roll-Ups."

"This is the crack team that foils my every plan? I am deeply shamed." Spike popped off.

"Spike's right. We should get organized." Buffy said.

"Why are you holding hands?" The woman asked.

"They have to hear it sooner or later." Spike smirked at the Slayer.

"Spike and I are getting married!" Buffy smiled while hugging the vampire.

"How?! What?! How?!"

"Three excellent questions." Pops said. I rose to my feet before stretching out my muscles. I couldn't find much on what was happening to these people, but the most likely thing was ether a curse or a witch.

"What are you lookin' at?"

"The man I love." Buffy giggled and I cringed as they began to kiss.

"Can I be blind, too?" Xander asked. "Wait. Married. I know somethin'. What is it? Everything's so familiar. Work brain, work!" He looked like he was about to blow a gasket in his head. "Oh! Oh-oh! Willow!"

"Knew it! It was a witch. Wait, isn't she a friend?" I asked while looking confused.

"Holy-!" Xander spun around to look at me. "When did you get there?"

"Who are you?" The woman asked.

"Oh, sorry." Pops gestured with his hand as he talked. "Anya, Xander, meet Aud. She's my daughter."

"Oh, nice to meet you." There was a short pause. "Wait, who?"

"We can do proper introductions later, right now, we gotta fix what's going on. What exactly did Willow do?" I asked while crossing my arms.

"Uh, she told me I was a demon magnet and-and you two should get married." Xander pointed at the Slayer and vampire.

"And that I didn't see anything." Giles added.

"She did a spell." Buffy stated.

"Yes, to have her will done. Whatever she says is coming true."

"And you both were affected! I probably only escaped because I'm the Slayer. Some kind of natural immunity." Unable to help myself, I looked at Buffy like she was an idiot.

"Yeah, right. You're marrying Spike because you're so right for each other." The brunette man said with heavy sarcasm.

"Xander!"

"That's it. You're off the usher list." Spike told Xander.

"P-people, Willow is out there and she probably doesn't know what she's doing." Pops moved his hands as he talked.

"We gotta find her."

"Before somebody gets really hurt." Buffy said as everyone turned to head for the door. I wanted to go as well, but stopped and sighed when Giles crashed into the couch.

"I'll stay here and watch Pops." I mumbled before going to help out Giles. "Come on, just sit down. We'll have to wait it out-hope for the best, I guess."

"Don't worry, Aud. They'll break the spell." Pops waved a hand. "At least we know it's not an attack on us from an enemy of some sort." He chuckled, trying to joke about the situation.

~

"Look, cookies! A very not-evil thing I did. Oatmeal?" Willow said as she came out of the kitchen with a plate piled with cookies.

"Cookies?" I perked up while sitting up straight in my seat next to Buffy.

"Yes. Very funny. They're chocolate chip, I can see them. I still need my glasses, you could have been more specific and give me 20/20." Pops said while wiping off his glasses. Willow then came over with the plate in both of her hands.

"Eat a cookie, ease my pain?"

"Mm. Better?" Buffy asked while taking a bite from a cookie. I stared at the plate while pretty much drooling over the baked goods.

"Well, baking lifts about 30% of my guilt....but only 7% of my inner turmoil. Guess that'll just take a while."

"It'll happen." Buffy reassured her friend. While they were smiling at each other, I gently tugged on Willow's sleeve.

"What is it, Aud?" She looked at me.

"Am I allowed to have one, too?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the large pile of cookies.

"Of course, have as many as you like." Willow gave me a big smile while holding the plate out towards me.

"You're amazing!" I flung my arms around her and gave her a hug before grabbing a bunch of cookies.

"Why, thank you."

"Don't I get a cookie?" Spike asked from the chair he was tied to. Glancing up at him, I was taking a huge bite from a cookie.

"No." Buffy said flatly.

"Well, I gotta have something." He shifted in his seat. "I still have Buffy taste in my mouth."

"You're a pig, Spike."

"Yeah, well, I'm not the one who wanted _'Wind Beneath My Wings'_ for the first dance." There was a silent pause as everyone looked at Buffy.

"It was the spell." She quickly rose to her feet and walked away with Willow following. Munching down on my cookies, I swung my legs while sitting on the bar stool.

"Pst, hey!" My head jerked up when I heard someone whisper-yelling. "Yeah, how about givin' me one?" Spike raised his brows while gesturing with his head to the cookies in my hand. Looking from him to the cookies and back, I rolled my eyes and hopped to my feet.

"Whatever." I said while handing him a cookie. "Just so you know, I still want to hit you." The bleached blonde smirked.

"By the way, you got some solid fists for a little bugger like yourself." My face scrunched up as I was trying to figure out what he meant by saying that.

"Was that a compliment or are you just pointing out a fact?" I asked.

"I'm just sayin', you'd fit right in with the bloody Scoobies." He shrugged while taking a bite from the cookie. _'Huh, what a name for them.'_ I thought while looking at Pops and the others.


	3. What I'd like to do

"You heard of a group called The Gentlemen?" Giles questioned after hanging up the phone.

"Group of what?" Spike asked as he walked into the kitchen. I sent a sideways glare at him as I was making myself some sandwiches.

"The Gentlemen."

"Don't know."

"You certain?"

"No. We're out of Weetabix." The vampire said with his mouth full.

"We are out of Weetabix because you ate it all." Pops said with a tone.

"Again." I added. Spike glanced at me briefly before walking past me to look around the kitchen for something.

"Get some more."

"I thought vampires were supposed to eat blood." Pops sighed while I put the sides of my PB&J together.

"Yeah, well, sometimes I like to crumble up the Weetabix in the blood." Spike said as he grabbed the peanut butter from beside me and left the kitchen. Rolling my eyes, I put up the jelly and the knives. "Gives it a little texture." He added while plopping down on the couch.

"Since the picture you just painted means that I will never touch food of any kind again, you'll just have to pick it up yourself." Giles told him.

"Sissy." The vampire retorted. Grabbing my plate of multiple PB&J's, I went to the living room.

"Scooch it." Putting one hand on my hip, I looked down at Spike.

"Make me." He grinned sadistically.

"Fine, don't move." I shrugged, and Spike looked momentarily confused with how easily I had given up. "I'll just sit here." Sitting at the very edge of the couch, I turned and put my legs over his. "Make me spill my food and you'll be missing a few limbs."

"You're like a bloody child."

"Says the one who won't scoot over." I looked up at him and saw him raising an eyebrow at me. "What?"

"Well, I think we should talk about it now." Anya and Xander were seemingly arguing as they just walked in.

"Thank you for knocking." Pops said sarcastically.

"If you don't know how I feel about-"

"I don't." It sounded like they were having one of those 'lover's quarrels.' "This isn't a relationship. You don't need me. All you care about is lots of orgasms." The ex-demon told Xander. I paused my eating and sat up to look at them with a raised brow. Spike did the same with a cracker hanging out of his mouth.

"Okay, remember how we talked about private conversations? How they're less private when they're in front of my friends?"

"Oh, we're not your friends, go on." The vampire said while looking at them.

"Please don't." Pops had this look on his face.

"Hey, I'm a friend!" I said. "Right?"

"Of course you are, Aud." Xander waved at me.

"This is important." Anya continued.

"Yes, but why is it here?" Giles questioned while taking off his glasses.

"Mom said you wanted me to swing by."

"Oh, well, yes. I meant after sunset." Pops stood up and leaned against the table. Crossing his arms, he glanced over at Spike and I before turning back to Xander. "Um, I need you to take Spike for a few days....and Aud."

"What?"

"What?"

"What?"

"What?" We all said in turn while looking at Giles.

"I'm not staying with him."

"Yeah, and why do I have to go?" The vampire and I rose from our seat.

"I have a friend who's coming to town, and I'd like us to be alone."

"Oh, you mean an orgasm friend." Anya popped off while crossing her arms.

"Yes, that's exactly the most appalling thing you could've said." Pops looked at her.

"Okay, then I'll go." I quickly said while scrunching up my face. There was no way in _Hell_ I'd stay here after hearing that Pops is going to have a 'friend' over.

"He's not roaming around. If he stays with me, he's gonna get tied up again." Xander pointed.

"What about us?" Anya asked. "Our romantic evening?"

"I'm not having these two shag while I'm tied to a chair 3 feet away." Spike looked at them as Pops put his glasses on while sitting back down.

"That's not exactly my fantasy either." Xander said.

"So you're blowing off our evening because you don't care about me." And it was a back and forth thing between those three.

"How about I just get a hotel room?"

"No, Aud." Giles shook his head. "You're not going to be in a strange place by yourself. With Xander, I at least know you'll behave."

"Behave? What, is she a bad little bugger?" Spike piped in.

"Yeah-she wouldn't, you know, tear up my house, right?" Xander asked.

"No, I meant-"

"He means that I won't romp around Sunnydale getting into trouble with the non-humans and humans here." I crossed my arms.

"Exactly." Pops nodded.

"I guess I'll go pack a bag, then." I sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing.

~

"I don't see why I have to be tied up." Spike told Xander as he was tightening the ropes that kept him on the chair.

"It's just while we're sleeping." Xander replied while I was busy brushing my teeth in the deep sink. I had to admit, this basement was set up pretty nicely. Sort of like a cheap apartment.

"Like I'd bite you, anyway." Rinsing out my mouth, I put up my toothbrush and toothpaste before crawling onto the extra chair.

"Oh, you would." Xander said while crawling across his bed to shut off the lamp.

"Not bloody likely."

"I happen to be very biteable, pal." I snorted while getting under the blanket I had been provided with. _'Does he really want to get bit?'_ I thought. "I'm moist and delicious."

"All right, yeah, fine. You're a nummy treat." Spike rolled his eyes as Xander laid down in his bed.

"And don't you forget it." The human pointed at the vampire. Getting comfy on the surprisingly soft chair, I closed my eyes.

"Xander, don't you care about me?" Spike spoke while mocking Anya's voice.

"Shut up."

"We never talk."

"Shut up."

"Xan-der."

"Shut up!" Xander snapped as I sighed while rolling onto my side.

"Why must you keep talking?" Grumbling, I glared at the vampire.

"Oh, does the mixed breed need her rest?"

"Spike, it you continue to talk, I will make a ball gag for you out of the dirty socks down here." That at least got him to shut up finally.

The next morning went quickly sour. No one could speak, all of our voices were gone. Xander was pointing at Spike, blaming him when I woke up. Silently groaning, I hopped out of the chair and went to my bag. I heard Xander dialing a number on the phone when I grabbed some clothes. Looking at him, I gave a stupid look. _'You can't talk, dumbass.'_ Is what I wanted to say. I went to the bathroom to get dressed, and when I came back, Xander was dressed too.

'To Giles's place?' He mouthed, and I nodded before pointing to Spike. Xander sighed and mouthed words to me again. 'Just leave him.'

Once we got to Pops's place, I hit the kitchen while Xander went to the living room and turned on the TV. After that, the gang began to show up here as well. Anya was first, then Buffy, and Willow followed. I listened to the news on TV while making me some food.

"Breaking news item from Sunnydale, California: apparently the entire town has been quarantined due to an epidemic of- as strange as this may sound- laryngitis. It seems the town has been rendered unable to speak. There's no word yet what might have caused this or what other effects might be seen from this epidemic. Local authorities have issued a statement- a written statement, I should say- blaming recent flu vaccinations. A few skeptics call it a citywide hoax. In the meanwhile, Sunnydale has effectively shut down. All schools and businesses will be closed for the time being. And residents are advised to stay home and rest up." The news reporter glanced down at his papers. "The Centers for Disease Control have ordered the entire town quarantined. No one can go in or out until the syndrome is identified or the symptoms disappear. We'll bring you more on that as it develops."

After the news finished on the Sunnydale bit, Buffy went out and the rest of us spent the day researching all we could. As night fell, Xander and I returned to his basement. Spike was still tied up and looked pissed.

'How could you leave me here all bleeding day?!' Xander and I looked at each other and sighed. 'I'm bloody starving!'

'Okay, Mr. Cranky-Pants.' I mouthed. Walking over to the fridge, I grabbed some pig's blood. 'Cup?' Xander pointed out the ones that could be used in the microwave.

~

Gathering at Willow and Buffy's college, I sat among the many seats in the empty classroom while Xander closed all of the blinds and Pops set up the projector. When we were all seated, Giles pressed play on the CD player and dramatic music filled the room.

Cracking his knuckles, he put the first slide on. It was placed backwards, but read, 'Who are The Gentlemen?' in black, capital letters. After it was pointed out that the slide was backwards, Giles fixed the slide by turning it over. In the background, I could hear Anya eating her popcorn as another slide was put on the projector.

'They are Fairytale monsters' And there was a simple drawing of one holding a little briefcase. 'What do they want' Asked the next slide as Pops pointed a finger to the ceiling. Willow raised her hand excitedly to get our attention before pointing to her heart.

'Boobies?' Xander asked while making a hand gesture in front of his chest.

'Hearts' Pops corrected with the next slide. 'They come to a town' It said with a drawing of two Gentlemen on top of a hill with two houses down below. 'They steal all the voices so no one can scream' The following image depicted The Gentlemen stealing a group of peoples' voices. 'Then' And the following slide had a Gentleman violently stabbing a screaming person while they were still in bed. There was quite a bit of blood drawn on there. The next slide had even more red as the Gentleman was holding up a heart.

'They need seven' There was a bunch of hearts drawn. 'They have at least two' Xander snapped his fingers to get our attention before showing us a whiteboard asking how we kill them. Buffy made a strange gesture that was a bit confusing until she grabbed a wooden stake from her bag and did it again.

'In the tales no sword can kill them' Giles switched the slides. 'But the princess screamed once....and they all died.' Willow raised up a CD and pretended to die, but Pops showed a slide that said only a real voice would work. Buffy asked how to get her voice back, and Giles raised his hands out at his sides while shrugging. 'Buffy will patrol tonight' the drawing was of a girl in a dress with a bow and arrow. Pops pointed to the rest of us and held up a book. Sighing as I rose to my feet, we all got started. Buffy left and the rest of us hit the books Giles had brought and stacked up on a table.

After a while, Willow went back to her dorm to do some research on her laptop. Xander and I left- I to his place to grab Spike before heading to Pops's house to continue research, and he went elsewhere to grab some supplies.

Sitting in the comfy chair by one of the many bookcases, I was reading about The Gentlemen while munching on a stick of beef jerky. Anya had passed out on the couch from exhaustion, and Giles was going back and forth between texts and stories of various types to find common variables. We had to somehow find out a way to get an actual human's voice to kill The Gentlemen. When Spike came into the living room with the yellow mug of blood, he had a blood mustache and his face was all vamped out. In all honesty, he looked like an angry puppy with a red 'stache.

As he picked a book up off the coffee table, some of the other books fell off. When he bent over to pick them up, Xander walked in. As soon as he saw Anya passed out and the vampire with blood on his face, he assumed something wrong had happened and immediately lashed out.

I wanted to laugh so hard when Xander tackled Spike and began to punch him. But the beat-down didn't last long when Anya showed that she was fine. Then, I nearly barfed when they kissed and left to- according to Anya's hand gesture- have sex. But, all in all, by the end of the night, we all had our voices back.


	4. You sit back now

"My sodden sleeping chair is bloody....sodden!" Spike complained after the mini-earthquake shook loose a water pipe.

"The quake just knocked a couple of pipes loose." Xander said while putting a bucket under the leak. "There's a wrench hanging up over there by the workbench. Try tightening the coupling."

"I look like a plumber to you?"

"No, you look like a big mooch who doesn't lift a finger around here. But I have to get to work."

"Yeah, delivering melted cheese on bread. Doin' your part to keep America constipated."

"Mock not. Remember who pays for the plasma around here, pal." Xander said while putting on his uniform shirt and grabbing his hat and a wrench. "You earn your keep, or you don't get kept." He handed Spike the wrench. "When you're done fixing that leak, try cleaning up this mess. And doing a little laundry for once wouldn't kill you. Unfortunately."

"What about bloody Aud? I don't see her earning her keep." The vampire pointed at me.

"Actually, she's been keeping pests out of here, saving me money on buying traps and such." Xander then went upstairs and left to go to work.

"Ha! I'm not a mooch like you." I smirked before glancing up at the leaky pipe. "You gonna fix that or not?"

"Not, I'm no sodding plumber." He clenched his jaw while looking at the water filling the bucket. "How about you bloody do it, huh? There's an idea."

"Fine, I will, you pansy." I said while taking the wrench from him. Looking around, I found a stool to step on so I could reach the pipe. "If I fall, tell Buffy to stake you and that I'll miss Giles." I said after seeing how high up I was.

"Oh, and I'm the pansy. You won't die from that short of a fall."

"Says the undead." Shaking my head, I looked back to the pipe and began to tighten the coupling like Xander had said to try and do. It was still dripping after I had done that- not as bad, though- so I took a closer look. There was also a small crack in the pipe. "Stay put. I'm going to go get some pipe putty to seal this." Climbing down from the stool, I put down the wrench. "Stay." I pointed at the vampire.

"Where would I go? It's the middle of the day, short stack." Spike put his hands on his hips while making a face. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my jacket and headed out.

I wasn't even gone long, but when I got back, the place was a mess. The washer had flooded the floor and stuff was strewn about everywhere, making it look like a hurricane had struck the basement.

"How did this happen?" I shouted while quickly trying to fix the pipe. "Couldn't you have at least dumped the bucket?!" The water was overflowing from it and didn't stop until I put the sealing putty onto the pipe. "Geez...." And I began to curse under my breath while quickly dumping the bucket outside in the grass. "Spike!" I called when I realized he was nowhere in sight.

"It's not my bloody fault." I heard his voice coming from behind the couch.

"Whatever, just help clean up." Walking towards him, he rose his voice.

"Stop!"

"Why?"

"I don't want anyone to see me...."

"Don't be such a drama-queen. Quit pouting and come-oh...." I stopped when I saw him. "Oh." Covering my mouth to hide my smile, I was desperately trying not to laugh. Being Rupert's daughter, I heard all about the big nasties in the world- Spike and Angelus included. But seeing _'William the Bloody'_ dressed the way he was was absolutely comical. A pair of Xander's khaki shorts and a Hawaiian button-up that was covered in bright colors. "What...." I snickered. "What happened?"

"I tried to wash my clothes." Then I broke and burst into laughter. I stopped when I saw the look he was giving me, though.

"Sorry, sorry. Okay, you're definitely having a shitty day. Just help clean up, and Xander might not ever know this happened." Looking around, I began to get stuff off the wet floor so they wouldn't get ruined if they weren't already.

~

"Oh, no! Spike, the place looks worse than when I left!" Xander came downstairs as I was mopping up the water from the pipe and washer. "Where'd all this water come from?" He asked when seeing the pipe fixed. Scratching the back of my head, I gave a nervous smile as the human male put down the pizza in his hands and took in the wrecked basement. _'Well, he's home earlier than I thought....'_

"Don't turn around." Spike said lowly.

"Spike, what is it? What happened?" Xander was getting antsy, looking at me for answers.

"Don't look at me." Xander didn't listen and turned around. The laughing came a few seconds after he saw Spike, but the vampire didn't seem amused. "I shrunk them." He said while holding up his shirt that was now sizes too small. "Bleeding shirt, trousers. I hate this place."

"You know, I'm not any happier about you wearing my stuff than you are." Xander then looked at me. "How'd this even happen?" I cleared my throat before speaking.

"Had to get putty to seal the crack." Pointing to the pipe, he sighed.

"Go out. Get me some decent stuff and I want more blood." Spike told the human.

"No. You're not a guest."

"You want me to tear this place apart, you bloody poof?"

"That's it!" And I felt like an awkward oddball as Xander raised his voice angrily at Spike. "I am way past through with you. I hate to break it to you, _O impotent one_ , but you're not the _'Big Bad'_ anymore. You're not even the _'Kind of Naughty'_." What Xander said next was crossing the line- for me, anyway. "You're nothing but a waste of space-my space. And as much as I always got a big laugh watching Buffy kick your shiny white bum, and as much as I know I could give you a little bum-kicking myself right now, I'm here to tell you something." He stepped closer towards Spike and looked him in the eye. "You're not even worth it." I wanted to say something, but it was none of my business and I wasn't a part of it. "I'm out of here."

"Wow...." I mumbled. "Not even I would say that, and I'm a half-demon...." Unknowingly, I had said that out loud.

"Aren't you a bloody saint." Spike popped off sarcastically.

"Shut up." I said reflexively. "I'm just saying that no matter who- or what- you are, whether it be alive or dead, human or non-human, no one is a waste of space or doesn't matter. Is that how it's like with the Scoobies?" I asked.

"Yeah."

~

"Another one?" I said when I showed up at Pops's place. I was filled in on the whole apocalypse thing, and there were books everywhere.

"Yes." Giles nodded before turning back to the book in his hands. "A Vahrall demon."

"Eww." Willow said.

"I second that revulsion." Xander commented. Buffy and I walked over to look.

"Yes. ' _Slick like gold and gird in moonlight, father of potents and brother to blight.'_ " He read from the page.

"' _Limbs with talons, eyes like knives; bane to the blameless, thief of lives.'_ " Buffy finished. "The thing isn't digging up the bones of a child for fun."

"Well, a demon's got some pretty hilarious ideas about fun." Xander said. _'So do humans.'_ I thought.

"The bones of a child, though." Willow looked up. "I saw that." She then grabbed a book and flipped to a page. "An ancient ritual. It uses the blood of a man, the bones of a child, and something called The Word of Valios. I-It's all part of a sacrifice-the sacrifice of 3."

"Let me guess, ends the world?"

"Well, yeah. It's not big with the details, though. It doesn't say how the world ends or what the ritual entails exactly."

"A sacrifice of 3. Three people are gonna die?" Xander asked.

"No, they won't...." Buffy stood up straight. "Because claw boy's not getting all of his ingredients. We have to find that third one, The Word of Valios. Keep him from getting it."

"If he doesn't already have it. I mean, who knows where he's been?" Willow said.

"I'll check the magic shop, see if they've heard of a book called The Word of Valios. Wil, Xander, how about the book archives at the museum?"

"We'll stop by my house, grab some weapons, and I'll change into something that isn't quite as anchovy-scented." Xander grabbed his shirt while looking down at it.

"You guys, this thing takes wicked very seriously. Be careful. I couldn't stand anybody getting hurt." Buffy then glanced at me. "Aud, could you go with them just in case?" All eyes then turned to me.

"Really? Me?" I said while pointing to myself.

"Now, Buffy-" Pops began as he stood up.

"Giles, this is an apocalypse. She isn't a kid, and we could use all the help we can get."

"Ah, yes, but-" He took off his glasses to clean them.

"I'm also really strong-being part demon and all!" I put my hands together while giving a begging look. "Come on, Pops, let me join the fight!" Giles looked at me for a few seconds, then sighed.

"Fine. But be careful, Aud. Please."

"Sure thing, Pops!" I said while leaving with Willow and Xander. Arriving at the basement, we came in just in time to see Spike falling on a table with a stake on it.

"What are you doing?" Willow asked in a higher pitched voice.

"Bloody rot! Can't a person knock?" The vampire scrambled to his feet after crashing into the table and breaking it into pieces.

"What are you doing?" Willow asked again.

"You were trying to stake yourself!" Xander pointed at the stake lying on the ground before picking it up.

"Fag off." Spike immediately became defensive. "It's no concern of yours." He turned away.

"Is too. For one thing, that's my shirt you're about to dust. And for another, we've shared a lot here. You should have trusted me enough to do it for you."

"Xander." Willow looked at the human male.

"What? He wants to die. I want to help." The witch took the stake from him.

"It's ooky, we know him. We can't just let him poof himself." _'I think I like Willow....'_ I noted in my head.

"Oh, but you can. You know I'd drain you drier than the Sahara if I had half a chance. And besides, I'm beyond pathetic." Spike raised his arms out at his sides. "Stuck in this basement, washing skivvies for a blighter I wouldn't have bothered to bite a few months ago, and only having a bipedal rodent chaser to talk to."

"Hey!" Xander and I said at the same time.

"I mean, am I even remotely scary anymore?" He asked while Xander went to change. "Tell me the truth." Willow and I glanced at each other before the vampire made his hands like claws and stepped closer while making a strange noise.

"Well, the shirt is kinda....not very threatening.... And the short pants. But it could also be because I know you can't bite. Which I guess isn't what you really need to hear-"

"Stop. Look, just clear out, okay." Spike cut Willow off.

"Fine." Xander said after getting changed and collecting a bag of weapons. "But you break anything else while we're gone, and you'll be sleeping in the garage, buster."

"Willow...." I mumbled while grabbing her sleeve. She nodded and looked at Xander.

"We can't just leave him like this. We'll have to take him with us to the museum."

"Oh, you go on. I won't do anything." Spike looked at the male human. "I feel better now. Promise." He was obviously lying and not very convincing.

"Think of the happy." Xander said while putting an arm around Spike's shoulders. "If we don't find what we're looking for, we're facing an apocalypse."

"Really? You're not just sayin' that?" He replied as we were leaving. Shutting the door behind us, we headed to the museum. We searched everywhere with no luck whatsoever.


	5. Just relax now

"Great. No _Word of Valios_."

"Not even a syllable of _Valios_."

"Which means I'm one step closer to melting in a sea of molten Hell fire, yeah?"

"You shouldn't talk like that. Yeah, okay, so you can't kill anymore, but there are other fun things you can do. You'll adjust." Willow tried to cheer up the vampire.

"Adjust?" Spike turned around and we stopped walking away from the museum. "And what, end up like the three of you? No thank you."

"Here it goes." Xander said when Spike turned back around. "We just can't leave him here to stake himself. It's not right." Xander mocked what Willow had said earlier.

"I should think you would be glad to greet the end of days. Neither one of you is making much of a go at it, and I don't even know about you." He pointed at me. "You. Kids your age are going off to university. You've made it as far as the basement. And Red here, you couldn't even keep dog boy happy. You can take the loser out of high school, but...." It seemed he was intentionally trying to piss them off.

"I see what you're doing. You're trying to get us to dust you." Willow shrugged and smiled.

"Am not. I just don't want pity from geeks more useless than I am."

"We're not useless. We-we help people. We fight the forces of evil."

"Buffy fights the forces of evil. You're her groupies. She'd do just as well without you. Better, I'd wager, since she wouldn't have to go about saving your hides all the time." The vampire retorted.

"That is so not true. We're part of the team. She needs us."

"Or....you're just the same tenth-grade losers you've always been, and she's too much of a softy to cut you loose."

"Excuse me, Willow." I said calmly. When she moved to the side, I walked past her and went up to Spike. The next thing anyone knew, the bleached blond was on the ground.

"Aud!"

"What the bloody Hell was that for?!" Spike shouted while holding his jaw.

"Look, I know you're evil, and you two are on Buffy's side," I said while looking at everyone. "I also know your little spats are none of my business, but I'd rather not have the world ending any time soon, okay? You can't eat if you're dead and food doesn't exist anymore. So, can we just try to find this _Word of Valios_ before the demons do, if they haven't already?" I asked.

"You could have said all that without punching me!" Spike rose back to his feet, still rubbing his jaw.

"Yeah, well, you were being a major dick." And I walked off. It took a second, but the other's were soon following behind. When I walked through the thick, wooden door at Pops's house, I immediately looked for him. "Pops!" I called.

"Over here." A raised hand came from the other side of the couch. "Ow." The place was trashed, so I had to go around and over a bunch of stuff to get to Pops. He was sitting there while wrapping gauze around his bleeding hand.

"Who did this?" I growled.

"The Vahrall." Clenching my hands into fists, Giles motioned for me to sit down. "Wait until Buffy returns, we will come up with a plan of action then." So, forced to swallow my anger, I did as I was told. Thankfully, Buffy got back not too long after.

"What happened?" She asked while looking around.

"It's my fault." Pops said. "I should have known."

"Giles." Buffy sat down next to me on the coffee table, looking at her old Watcher. Most of the blood had been cleaned off of his face by now, and we did the best we could in patching him up with the First Aid Kit.

" _The Word of Valios_....is the name of a talisman, not a book. I blame myself entirely. I had it here."

"You had it here?" Xander asked as Willow came back with some ice for the big knot on Pops's forehead. "Okay, first I thought you were being too hard on yourself, but...."

"Oh, thank you." Giles took the towel full of ice. "I bought it at a sorcerer's estate sale. I really only glanced at it once-I thought it was a knockoff."

"Well, they have it, and they probably have their sacrifices by now, too."

"They're on their way to perform the sacrifice now." Pops said.

"On their way where? You found out what the ritual is for?" Buffy asked Giles.

"The Hellmouth. They're gonna open the Hellmouth....the one in library." Everyone looked around at each other.

"Looks like we're going back to high school." The Slayer said as she rose to her feet.

~

Entering the burnt out shell of a building, I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise. Was it because of the Hellmouth's close proximity or the impending apocalypse?

"Be careful, you guys. The place doesn't look too stable." Buffy cautioned us.

"Fine by me. I hope we all go under." Spike said not too happily.

"Why is he even here? It's not like he can fight." Buffy glanced back.

"If we leave him alone, he'll stake himself." I said.

"And that's bad because....?" The blonde trailed off. "Fine. Whatever. Just keep him out of the way. I do not have time for this." She sighed. "Okay, when we get to the library, keep a lookout for victims they're keeping alive for the sacrifice. Getting them out is the first priority."

"Will do."

"Okay, you guys ready?"

"Let's rock 'n' roll." Xander nodded, and I took that as permission to let some of my demonic traits show. If we were going to be fighting full-blooded demons, I couldn't have all of my concentration on keeping myself looking completely human.

" _Let's rock 'n' roll._ " Spike mocked Xander. When we turned a corner, there was a long hallway burnt to crisps and the ceiling was hanging down along with left over insulation.

"Sunnydale High. If these walls....were still walls, what stories they could tell. Eww." Xander said as he stepped on something. "Mayor meat-extra crispy."

"Wouldn't that have decayed by now?" I asked.

"Maybe? It was a demon...." Willow shrugged.

"Hey, uh, I don't mean to sound the alarm or anything, but...." We all looked at Xander. "Aud has a freaking tail." He said with a fluctuating voice as he pointed at me. The eyes soon followed.

"What? How many times do I have to say that I'm part _demon_?" I crossed my arms.

"Oh, but look!" Willow grinned. "It's-it's like a lemur's." She had this look on her face like she thought my tail was cute.

"Yes, but unlike a lemur's, mine is prehensile."

"Oh, cool." The witch kept looking at it.

"It's what?" Buffy's face scrunched up.

"Prehensile-means I can grab stuff with it."

"Really?" Xander asked. To answer that, I opened the bag of weapons he was holding and pulled out a dagger.

"Hold this." I told Willow, so she held it gently with the handle facing up. Turning to the side a bit, I let the end of my tail wrap around the dagger and pulled it from her hand.

"That is so cool. And your tail is really soft." Willow said with a grin as I took the dagger from my tail and gave it back to Xander.

"Thanks, but could we get back to stopping the apocalypse?" I asked while softly smiling.

"Yeah, sure. I think the library is this way." Then, we continued walking down the hall.

"Hey, any more bits you're keepin' hidden?" Spike asked me.

"Yes, now shut up- I hear something." I furrowed my brows as the chanting grew louder.

"Whoa, check out the new floor plan."

"Three of them." Buffy pointed out as we looked at the demons surrounding a crevice in the ground.

"I don't see any sacrifice people." Willow said while looking a bit confused.

"They must be around here somewhere." Buffy looked around.

"Unless they _are_ the sacrifices." I mumbled while furrowing my brows.

"Ritual's not finished." Buffy shrugged. "And it's not gonna be." The Slayer then walked down the steps carved out of rock towards the demons. There was smoke seeping from the crack in the ground, and Buffy attacked the puke green demons

"Show time." Cracking my knuckles, I went down to help Buffy. Willow and Xander swooped in, picking up the ritual's ingredients from the demons while they were distracted. My fists made heavy contact with a demon's body, sending him flying into a wall.

"Ugh!" Glancing over, I saw Buffy getting thrown to the ground. Running over, I lept onto the demon's back as it was bending down to grab the Slayer. The demon roared as it tried to shake me off of itself.

"Sorry, pal, I'm not thrown that easily!" Tightening my grip on it, the demon roared again while trying to reach back and pull me off. "This is more fun than a mechanical bull!" I said to Buffy as she rose to her feet.

"Glad you think so." She smiled before hitting the demon. Suddenly, the ground began to rumble and shake.

"Aud was right! They are the sacrifice!" Xander shouted over the noise. Buffy got in a few more punches and kicks before the demon hit the wall....with me still on its back.

"Sorry, Aud!" Buffy cringed.

"I'm fine! I'm fine- it's all good." I said while kicking the Vahrall off of me. Groaning, I stretched out my back. "That was a good kick though, Buffy. Slayer strength is _definitely_ nothing to laugh at."

"Thanks." She said before throwing a punch to the demon.

"That's right! I'm back, and I'm a bloody animal! Yeah!" Spike roared as he picked up the demon that was holding a burlap bag.

"No!" Xander held out a hand as it to stop him.

"Spike! Not in the hole!" Willow shouted. The damn vampire didn't hear them and I ran to try and stop him from doing something stupid. I was too late in tackling Spike- the Vahrall was already down the hole.

"Ugh! You idiot!"

"What? I was helpin'!" And the ground began to shake and rumble more violently than the first time. Chunks from off the building came raining down as the whole place shook.

"Get out of here! The building's gonna come down!" Just when I got to my feet, a beam fell down, barely missing me and hitting Spike instead.

"We'll get him, you go help Buffy!" Willow told me. Nodding, I ran back to help the Slayer. The demon knocked her to the ground and I jumped on him again, wrapping my tail around his legs to make him fall down. I received an elbow to my eye, making me rear back with a yelp. The demon was back on Buffy, but she stabbed him. The Vahrall didn't seem much phased as he pulled out the sharp piece of wood and was ready to stab the Slayer.

"Buffy!" I shouted just as another person entered the fight. The man pulled the demon away and began a fist fight.

"Don't let him jump in the Hellmouth! If he does, we're finished." She told the human. Rushing over, I helped the blonde to her feet.

"Friend of yours?" I asked, looking at her to make sure she wasn't bleeding anywhere. Last thing we need at this moment is an injured Slayer.

"Yeah." Then we re-entered the fight when the man was tossed to the ground. The Vahrall was knocked around- and so was the human- but a falling beam is what took down the man. The demon grabbed _The_ _Word of Valios_ before crawling into the Hellmouth. _'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!_ ' My mind kept repeating as I ran to the hole. I couldn't see the demon, and looked up in time to see the combat-ready man attaching something to Buffy's belt before she dived down into the Hellmouth after the demon. The whole place was still shaking, and when the rope went taut, I helped the human pull Buffy and the Vahrall back up.

"Buffy." The man said before the ground stopped shaking. Sighing with relief, I smiled at the Slayer.

"I wish I had come to Sunnydale sooner." She laughed at me before we all rose to our feet.

"Did you see where the others went, Aud?"

"No, but I can sniff them out."

"Sniff them out?" The man looked confused before he saw my tail. "You're a Sub-Terrestrial." He gulped.

"Sub-Terrestrial?" I gave a look of confusion.

"It's fine, Riley." Buffy raised her hands. "She's on our side."

"If you say so." He eyed me and it wasn't hard to see the distrust in his eyes.

"Come on, they went this way." I ignored the human and followed the scent of the man, witch, and vampire. Riley must not have known who the ' _others_ ' were since he seemed surprised to see them.

"Well, hey! Willow. And Xander, right?" He looked to Buffy. "Geez, what are the chances, huh? Yeah, I was just passing by, and I thought I heard people inside." The Slayer crossed her arms while trying not to smile. It was plain to see he was lying.

"You were just passing by in your G.I. Joe outfit?" Willow asked. He looked down at his clothes and made this _'oh, shit, what do I do'_ face.

"No offense, but you do look wicked conspicuous." Buffy said.

"I do? But it's...." He trailed off. "Paint ball. Yeah. I was playing paint ball, and then the aftershock, and I came-"

"So you're one of the commando guys, huh?" Xander thankfully cut him off.

"Oh, no, no, no, no. Commando? No." He laughed nervously. "I mean...."

"I think he just turned into a motorboat...." I said while looking up at him.

"Hey, don't I know you?" He pointed at Spike.

"Me? No." He shook his head before gaining a heavy, southern accent. "No, sir. I'm just an old friend of Xander's here."

"Oh, that's nice." He and Buffy then walked away.

"It's kind of weird being back, isn't it?" Xander asked Willow as we were leaving.

"Yeah, everything seems so small....and more charred and ruin-y."

"So, what _was_ high school like?" I asked them. They both smiled at each other and answered.

"Hell." Willow and Xander said at the same time.

~

Xander, Willow, Spike, and I were all sitting around watching TV in Xander's basement until Spike got up and stood in front of the screen.

"What's this? Sitting around and watching the telly while there's evil still afoot." I tried to see the screen by looking around Spike's ass, but he was right in front of the TV. "It's not very industrious of you." He said before turning off the television and looking back at us. "I say we go out there and kick a little demon ass!" Spike grinned while clapping his hands and rubbing them together.

Xander had this 'lost and hurt' puppy expression on his face as he pointed to the TV.

"What? Can't go without your Buffy, is that it?" Spike dropped his hands at his sides while smirking. "Too chicken. Let's find her! She is the chosen one, after all." No one had yet to move a muscle as we were staring at the hyped up vampire. "Come on! Vampires-rrrr! Nasty!" He growled while still grinning. "Let's annihilate them! For justice and for....the safety of puppies....and Christmas. Right?" He was trying so hard to get us to go out and fight.

Even though Xander and Willow were obviously not wanting to, I secretly was itching to fight. All I'd ever done was spar with Pops and the Watcher's Council members. I had actually enjoyed the rush of adrenaline that came from a fight, and even how demons were tougher than normal people. But....I still didn't get up.

"Let's fight that evil." Spike's smile was fading. "Let's kill something." There was a silent pause. "Oh, come on!"


	6. I'll take care of you

Hiding in the dark room, we were waiting for Buffy. Willow had left to go get her a while back, so they should be on their way by now. The door finally opened in the recreation room, and in walked Buffy. Someone turned on the lights and we all jumped up.

"Surprise!" We all shouted as one. Xander shouted a little late, but it was fine. Buffy smiled after quickly putting a stake into her bag to make sure no one else saw it, and the group dispersed. According to the banner on the wall behind everyone, this was the surprise party for Buffy's 19th birthday.

Despite not knowing anyone at the party besides Willow, Xander, Buffy, and Giles, I had fun. The food was great and I was able to get to know Buffy better-when she wasn't talking with Riley anyways. To tell the truth, Buffy was pretty cool. She turned out to be just as Pops had described in the letters he used to send me-including the praises on her work and mind.

After the party, I crashed on Pops's couch while being satisfied with a full stomach.

~

"The prince demon guy was supposed to rise at sunset, so aren't we like, late?" Willow asked as we were walking through the cemetery.

"Of course, if I hadn't had to search the globe for our Miss Summers, and do battle with that harridan...."

"And if you hadn't gotten lost on campus afterwards-" Xander added.

"Never mind. I'll just have to take care of it myself. I've vanquished a few demons in my day without her. Of course, it wouldn't surprise me if we are entirely too late. Demon on the loose. Carnage everywhere." Pops said as we walked at a brisk pace towards a crypt.

"Your better demons clean up after themselves." Xander noted as we all saw the inside was undisturbed looking.

"I don't understand. Um.... Should be ruptured earth and-and broken stone." Pops looked all around with the flashlight in his hand. "Oh, well. Apparently it hasn't happened yet. A bit of luck." He said while putting down the bag of supplies he was carrying. _'Aw, I was ready to fight....'_ I thought as my tail drooped.

"Or, you-you know what I bet? I bet the Initiative took care of it." Willow said.

"Who?" Giles asked while setting up some candles.

"Oh, Riley and his guys were probably all over it."

"Yeah, it has that 'too neat' look. They must have cleaned up the place."

"What?" Pops looked utterly confused.

"Oh, they read hot spots. Areas of other-worldly energy. They must have picked this place up days ago."

"Stop. Both of you." Giles rose to his feet while waving a hand. "What are you talking about? Wh-what's the Initiative? What, um, what on Earth does it have o do with Buffy's new boyfriend?" Willow and Xander exchanged glances while I covered my face with a hand.

"You know. I'm sure you know....Riley's one of the commandos." Willow began to fidget.

"What?" There was a silent pause. "Well, that's marvelous, isn't it? Here I am-spent weeks trying to get a single scrap of information about our mysterious demon collectors, and no one bothers to tell me that Buffy's dating one of them?" Pops looked at us. "Who else knows?" He shined the flashlight at us.

"No one. No one else knows this." Xander waved a hand. "Anya, and that's it."

"And Spike." I added quietly.

"Spike?" Pops's shoulders slumped as he gave us a look. "Spike knew?"

"Only the basic stuff." Xander shrugged. "You know, that Riley's a commando, and Professor Walsh is in charge...." He trailed off.

"Professor Walsh?! That fishwife?!" Giles walked away while placing a hand on his hip.

"You know, she's actually not that bad once you get-" Willow was cut off by the look she received from Pops. "So, the demon's probably a little late. We-we'll just, you know-"

"Oh, forget it. Go on, you three clear off." Pops waved a hand before sitting down on a concrete bench. "I'll stay a little longer, just in case."

"You sure? 'Cause-'cause we could stay." Willow was still fidgeting.

"No, go."

"Sure you're sure?" I asked.

"Yes, Aud. Go."

"Okay...." I then followed Willow and Xander out of the crypt. They went their own ways while I headed home.

~

I awoke the next morning to crashing, clomping, and ripping. Quickly sitting up on the couch, I hopped to my feet.

"I'm awake! I'm awake! What did I miss?" Looking around, I saw the mess the house was in and the door torn from it's hinges. "Pops!" I shouted while running up to his room. He wasn't in his bed, but he was recently since his scent was still fresh in the room. Rushing back downstairs, I searched around the house, but found no trace of him other than his scent. Looking to the phone, I was going to call Buffy, but the device was broken.

"Oh, geez. I'll just do this the hard way." Rolling my eyes, I slipped on my shoes and ran out the door. So what if I was still in my pajamas? Something bad could be happening to Pops right now.  
Everywhere I followed Giles's scent, there was a path of destruction and screaming people that were running away. _'Oh, please let him be okay!'_ My mental voiced begged. I spent all day chasing the scent trail, but I was always a few steps behind.

It wasn't until I found myself in the cemetery that it became easier to track Pops. Getting excited as I knew I was getting closer, I began to run. I refused to stop until I came upon a huge demon holding up it's fists at Spike. I was so confused, I was tracking Giles, but the demon was at the end of the trail. Then, I noticed the blanket. It belonged to Pops.

"You bastard!" I shouted while tackling the demon. "What did you do to Pops?!" Snarling, I grabbed it by the horns to make it look at me. The demon was wide-eyed and waving it's hands while speaking a strange language. "Wait...." I paused while sniffing. "Pops?!" The demon sighed before nodding. "Oh, my-I'm so sorry!" Quickly getting to my feet, I helped Giles stand back up. "What the Hell happened to you?" Again, he spoke a foreign language I did not know.

"Papa Bear here got himself turned into a Fyarl demon." Spike was smirking.

"Are you saying that because you can see that or because that's what he said?"

"A bit of both, I happen to speak Fyarl." The vampire shrugged.

"Do you know who did this?" I asked and Pops answered. Looking to Spike, I was hoping for a translation.

"Someone named Ethan Rayne." Pops stepped towards Spike while saying something. "And I'm supposed to just help you out of the evilness of my heart?" The bleached blonde looked at Giles while replying to whatever he had said. Pops shifted on his hooves as he said something else. "Oh, tremendously convincing. Try it again without the stutter." Spike smirked while putting a cigarette to his lips while leaning against a tomb.

"Oh, I like money. How much?" Spike perked up after Pops had spoken and threw away his cancer stick. Giles said something and the vampire's face fell. "$100. You'll have to do a lot better than that. Two hundred." I crossed my arms as Pops replied and Spike's brows went up. "Right, then. What's first? I run and tell the Slayer what you've gotten yourself into?"

"Pops! Are you seriously paying him to help you?" The demon glanced down at me and raised his shoulders.

"Yeah, he is." Spike nodded.

"But I can help-for free." I said the last part while glaring at the vampire.

"Yes, but do you speak Fyarl? Because if you don't then you'll be clueless if he tries to tell you if he- I don't know- is having a heart-attack or something." Spike said as I was looking at him.

"Ugh.... I don't like it, but you do have a point." I glared.

"Right." Spike smirked before Pops walked away. Following him, he lead the way out of the cemetery. Finding Giles's old clunker of a vehicle, we all three piled in and hit the road to find this Ethan Rayne.

For one thing, Spike was a shitty driver. Hell, I could most likely guess what it was Pops was shouting at him as he was driving.

"I'm doing my best. I don't know if I'm driving this thing, or wearing it." He complained. Pops said something in return, making Spike glance at him and the laugh. "Funny hearing a Fyarl demon say _'serviceable'_. Had a couple of them working for me once. They're more like, **' _Like to crush, crush now?_ '** Strong though." Spike went on about his story. "You won't meet a jar you can't open for the rest of your life." Pops replied with a growl. "What was that? Did you growl?" Spike looked at him instead of the road. _'Sweet cheeses, he's going to make us crash....'_ I mentally groaned. Thankfully, the vampire looked back to the road when Pops began to speak. "Well, you got the mucus thing." My face scrunched up.

"What the Hell are you two talking about?" I mumbled in the back seat.

"Paralyzing mucus. It shoots out through the nose. Sets up fast. Hard as rock. Pretty good in a fight." Giles spoke with a tone a pitch higher than usual. "Maybe." Spike grinned. "But hey, if you feel a sneeze coming on, you warn me." Pops growled again before saying something and hitting the window. I fell over with how hard Spike turned the car and it sounded like the whole vehicle was about to fall apart.

"Calm down, will you?!" The vampire shouted back as a reply to Pops. He then said something else in the demon language and Spike sighed. "Fine with me, so long as you pay me." Giles was talking again. "Good times. Go with it." I looked back and forth between the two. ' _The Hell is he saying....?'_ "It's-it's fun. I can't do it, do it for me. Huh? Let yourself go."

"What is he saying?" I asked.

"Oh, the old bugger is just feeling a little evil. Nothing much." Spike shrugged while looking at me through the rearview mirror. Suddenly, the car came to a halt after Pops said something. As soon as it stopped, he hopped out of the car and headed towards a woman.

"Leave it to an undead asshole to encourage that sort of behavior." I said with a flat tone and expression while watching Pops scare the woman by waving his arms and roaring. He was grinning when he got back into the car.

~

"This is where you were last night?" Looking at Pops, I raised a brow. He had most of himself covered with the blanket while watching Spike flirt with the waitress to get information. Giles glanced at me with this look and rose his shoulders a bit.

Shaking my head, I paid attention to the waitress. Apparently, her body language said that she was interested in Spike-meaning his plan was working. _'Geez, lady. He's freaking dead-you know, no pulse?'_ I thought while seeing him easily get information from her. _'Well....that's actually a useful tactic....'_

Back in the car, Pops was acting more demon like. He was growling more often and looked agitated beyond belief. The vampire driving noticed this as well.

"How you feelin', mate?" He asked. "Now that sounds like a Fyarl demon. Good for you."

"Spike!" I said while smacking him upside the head.

"Ow! Bloody what?!"

"Just because you're evil doesn't mean you have to encourage Pops to be too!" I glared at the back of his bleached head. "Geez, can't you have some respect?"

"Respect for who?" He furrowed his brows.

"Me! He _is_ my dad, after all." I crossed my arms.

"Oh, boo-hoo. You're already a bloody demon, so that makes you evil, too....wait- does that mean I can hit you?" Spike was answered with a deep growl from Pops.

"I'm only half." I grumbled just before a set of headlights filled the car from behind.

"Hey, picked up a tail." Giles said something as Spike was checking the mirrors to see behind us. "I mean, someone's following us." Pops turned around to look and so did I. "Humvee. Military." Spike sighed after Pops said something. "I got it floored. Why did you buy this car?" Giles raised his voice while turning back around. "It's getting closer." There was a screeching noise as another vehicle was following us. "And it's got a friend."

"Oh, sure. Dismantle the getaway car. That will scare them." Spike said with heavy sarcasm after Pops broke the window next to him. "Hold on. These commandos are the same guys after me, too. Maybe I want you around to split their attention a bit." Giles said something and Spike glanced back at me. "All right, short stack, get ready to go ass-over-tits. You're jumping out with the big guy."

"Okay." I nodded while scooting over in the backseat to grab the door handle. Watching Pops, I got ready to open the door and leap out when he did. The second Giles leaned out of the car, I pushed my door open and jumped out. Covering my face as I rolled away, i jumped to my feet when I lost momentum. A second after, Pops was up and we were running away from the road.

Following him to a motel, Pops busted through the door, half of it still in the frame. The man inside screamed before making a face.

"Giles?" Pops growled while advancing and I stepped into the room. "Now, it-it's- calm down-it's okay." The man was waving a hand while trying to back away. "Good Giles." He said while hopping up on the bed. "Ah!" He jumped out of the way when Pops tried to grab him. "No, no, don't kill me!"

Giles grabbed Ethan by the front of his shirt and lifted him off the ground. Crossing my arms, I leaned against the wall. Pops knew what he was doing, so I wouldn't interfere- unless he went too far due to the effects of becoming a Fyarl demon.

"No, don't kill me, Giles! I can't undo you if you kill me!" He shouted when Pops put a hand around his throat. Pops tossed him across the room just as Buffy stormed in. "You've got to stop it!" Ethan told Buffy. "It killed Ripper, now it's trying to get me."

"Don't let him go." The Slayer said to Riley before facing the demon.

"Wait, Buffy!" I raised a hand after she attacked Pops.

"What did you do to him? What did you do?" She didn't hear me as she demanded answers from the Fyarl demon.

"Aud?" Riley looked confused. "What are you doing here?

"Tell you in a minute." I said quickly before running to Buffy as she began to fight Giles. "Buffy, stop!" I tried to get her attention, but she was too busy and focused on Pops. _'Oh, I'm probably going to regret this....'_ I thought with a sigh while looking up at the ceiling. _'Please don't hate me after this, Buffy.'_

Grabbing Buffy, I felt her muscles tense up as she was about to turn around and attack me. Before she had the chance though, I picked her up and tossed her to the ground. When she got back on her feet and in a fighting stance, she gave me a strange look.

"Aud? What are you doing here?"

"Okay, just hear me out. This may sound crazy, but could you just take a good look at the demon and tell me who it reminds you of." I stood between Buffy and Pops while raising my hands. The Slayer looked at me for a second before looking at the Fyarl demon. There was a silent pause.

"Giles?" She looked confused, then startled and surprised. "Oh, God, Giles!" Turns out, she had come in ready to kill the demon since she didn't know it was actually Pops. Thankfully, though, Buffy got Ethan to turn Giles back into a human.

"I've really got to learn to just do the damage and get out of town." Ethan said while sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of his magic circle and smoking ingredients. "It's the stay-and-gloat that gets me every time." The man shook his head. Pops was busy inspecting himself in the mirror, making sure all demon parts were gone and that he was back to being human. Buffy walked over and was giving a soft smile.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Oh, um, uh....embarrassed mostly." Pops gave a short laugh. "Ethan's wardrobe's not helping any, either." He said while looking down at the shirt. "Uh, h-how did you know it was me?" Pops asked while turning to Buffy.

"Your eyes." She replied. "You're the only person in the world that can look _that_ annoyed with me." They laughed. Clearing my throat, I looked at Buffy.

"I hope you're not upset about what I did, but if you are, I'm re-ally sorry about that." I somewhat cringed while expecting a bad reaction.

"No problems with me." Buffy smiled. "You didn't throw me too hard, and you had good reason to." My shoulders slumped, relief washing over me.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, thank Heavens." I sighed.

"Is this gonna go on much longer? I'd rather like to be going." Ethan said while putting his hands into his pockets.

"And why would I let you go?" We all looked at him while crossing our arms, even Riley did, too.

"Well, maybe because you have no choice. I'm human. You can't kill me. What's a Slayer going to do to me?" He laughed, but stopped as strange people came in.

"By the authority of the U.S. Military, you are being taken into custody pending a determination of your status." Riley watched the men cuff the sorcerer.

"We'll take it from here." They said. "Go, move it." And they drug away Ethan Rayne.

"They'll, uh, take Mr. Rayne to a secret detention facility in Nevada Desert. I'm sure he'll be rehabilitated in no time." Giles began to grin as he heard what Riley was saying.

"Um, if you don't mind, I'm just gonna go and watch them manhandle him into a vehicle." Pops said excitedly while pointing to the door before he left.

"Again, sorry, Buffy."

"I already told you, Aud. It's okay." Buffy waved a hand while smiling. "Oh, by the way, why are you in pajamas?" She looked me up and down. I paused, remembering this morning. _'Oh, yeah....'_

"I rushed out this morning to find Pops, didn't really think to waste time on changing." I grinned while scratching the back of my head. "You know, I think I'm gonna go watch with Pops." Waving at Buffy, I went outside.


	7. Hot temptations

"Hey, Pops?" I watched as he was putting his shoes on, getting ready to leave.

"What is it, Aud?"

"I was wondering if I could go out tonight-" He looked up at me immediately. "Willow and the guys invited me to come with them to a place called _The Bronze_."

"Oh." He smiled. "Oh, yes, of course." Pops went back to his shoes. "Good to know you're also getting along with everyone."

"Cool." I smiled. "So, what's our plan for today?" Putting my hands into my pockets, I leaned against the back of the couch.

"First, we'll have to....uh, stop by Spike's new crypt, then go grocery shopping, followed by visiting the public library."

"Oh, right. Those books are due back by now, huh?" Walking over to the table, I looked at the books Pops had checked out for me. He didn't want me to only be snacking and eating microwave food all the time, so he got some cook books of various types for me to look over.

"Yes. Are you ready to head out now?" Giles asked while rising to his full height.

"Sure." I grabbed the books before following Pops out the door.

~

At the cemetery, Pops cautiously entered a crypt, making sure not to open the door too much.

"Hey, wipe your feet when you enter a person's home." Spike sounded irritated as we walked in.

"Ah, yes, careless of me. Tracking dirt all over your, uh...." Pops trailed off while looking at the ground.

"Dirt." I finished as Spike walked over.

"I'll admit, it's a bit of a fixer-upper ." Looking around, I wandered off to get a closer look at the statues and concrete vases. "Needs a woman's touch. Care to have a crack at it?" Spike asked Pops.

"While I'd love to go on trading jabs with you, Spike, perhaps I'll come to the point." Giles sighed. "Much as it pains me to say it, I owe you a debt of gratitude for the help you provided me in my recent....metamorphosis."

"Stuff the gratitude. You owe me more than that, mate." I sent a short glare back at Spike before wandering to another statue.

"Yes, um....three hundred. Count it if you....like."

"I'll do that." And I heard the money being unfolded and counted. Pops then began to wander around like I was, but I came to a stop in front of the largest statue in the middle of the crypt. It was sun-bleached and weathered, but the craftsmanship was still present enough to be appreciated.

"Um, thinking about your, uh, affliction and your newfound discovery that you can fight only demons, it occurs to me that-" Pops was cut off by his own laugh. "I realize this is completely against your nature- but, ah, h-has it occurred to you there may be a higher purpose?"

"Ugh." Spike sounded irritated again. "You made me lose count. What are you still doing here?"

"Talking to myself, apparently."

"Well, piss off, then. Both of you." I turned to look at the vampire. "This bit of business wraps up any I got with you and your Slayerettes." He raised the money for emphasis. "From here on, I want nothing to do with the lot of you." He waved his hands.

"Your choosing to remain in Sunnydale might make that a little difficult." Spike turned towards Giles while dropping his hands to his sides.

"Well, you and yours will just have to show a little restraint is all. Now get out." He gestured towards the door with his head. Glancing at Pops, we headed to the exit as Spike went back to counting the money. " And I don't want you crawling back here, knockin' on my door, pleading for help the second Teen Witch's magic goes all wonky or little Xander cuts a new tooth. We're through. Got it?" Spike ducked to the side away from the sunlight when Giles opened the door. "Honeymoon is over." He added as Pops gave him a look before he walked out.

"By the way, I know you ate all my damn crackers, butt-face." I flipped Spike the bird while glaring. The vampire's face scrunched up as I was walking out the door.

"Butt-face?"

~

"Wearing a pair of ripped jeans, a Sex Pistols T-shirt, and a leather jacket, I slipped on my black work boots and headed out. I wasn't sure what one was supposed to wear to a club, so I wore what I usually would to anywhere else and just added the jacket. Plus, my silver dyed hair was in it's usual braid going down between my shoulder blades.

Following the directions Willow had written down for me on a sticky not, I made my way to the Bronze. I could tell when I was getting close because the sound of thumping music grew louder. Once I was inside, I scoped the place to try and find the guys.

"Aud! Hey!" Willow flagged me down. Grinning, I waved and walked over.

"Hey, guys, thanks for inviting me."

"No problem." Willow pat the chair next to her and I sat down.

"Hi, Anya."

"Hello, Aud." She smiled with a nod. Glancing up, I saw Xander coming over. We exchanged brief waves before Anya caught his attention. "Xander, you haven't been paying any attention to me tonight. Just peddling those processed food bricks." She said, referring to the bar he was eating off of. "I don't know why."

"Well, let me put it in a way you'll understand." He said while having one cheek puffed out from the partially chewed food. "Sell bars, make money. Take Anya nice places. Buy pretty things."

"That does make sense." She agreed. "All right, I support you. Go sell more." She smiled.

"Uh, well, this was the only one I had on me. Besides, it's getting late. Maybe we should go."

"Go? You can't go. Buffy hasn't gotten here yet."

"She hasn't?" I asked and Willow shook her head.

"Let's face it, Wil, she's almost an hour late. She's probably off living the life of Riley. I don't think she's comin'."

"She is. She said she was looking forward to-to spending quality time with just us." She looked down before perking up when she pointed towards the door. "See, here she comes!" Looking over, we saw Buffy come in....followed by Riley and other people. "With Riley....and some other guys."

"Hi, all. Sorry about the late-itude." Buffy said when she walked up to the table. The guys sort of pooled around while checking the place out.

"Late? Really? Huh, hadn't noticed." Xander lied.

"Hope you don't mind us tagging along." Riley sort of smiled awkwardly.

"No, no, of course not." Willow put on a smile. "The more, the.....more." _'She couldn't say merrier.....'_ I thought.

"This is Graham. This is Forrest. That's Kevin, and that's Jay in the back." Riley did the introductions. "We're gonna grab some drinks. Anybody wanting?"

"Coke, please." Buffy said.

"I'm good." Willow looked at her cup.

"No." Xander shook his head.

"We're going away. To dance. Over there." Anya quickly got up and took Xander away.

"We are?" He asked with a mouth full of food.

"How about you, Aud? Want anything?" Buffy asked while taking the now vacant seat.

"Um...." I looked around and awkwardly smiled. "I don't think I'm aloud to drink, so I guess a soda is okay." Then I waved my hands. "Unless you don't want to get it, that's fine, I can get it myself."

"No, it's fine. We can handle it." Riley smiled before he and his friends walked away.

"Anya seems a bit on edge." Buffy commented.

"She's a little antsy around the commando types." Willow replied. "Ex-demon issues."

"Wait....is it okay for me to be around those guys?" I asked with a bit of concern. They were members of the Initiative after all....

"Oh, it's cool. Actually, Riley was wondering if you were willing to come in sometime- they might be able to find out what demon you are by taking a look at you." Buffy turned to face me.

"I'm not gonna get locked up and chipped, am I?" Shifting in my seat, I looked from her to Willow and back.

"Not at all. I told them how you're friendly and part of the team and all." Her smile reassured me, so I nodded. If it could help me figure out what the Hell I was, it was worth a shot.

"Okay, I guess I'll have to schedule a doctor's appointment soon." I joked, then Buffy saw Willow's face.

"Oh, I didn't think that you would mind. Uh, Riley and the guys were throwing a little impromptu celebration in my honor. And made it, like, impossible not to invite them."

"Oh, that's neat about the celebration. I just thought this was supposed to be, you know, us. Just the Scooby Corps, you know? I mean, I could've invited someone else if I knew it was an open free-for-all." Willow shrugged.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea. My total bad." Buffy apologized before smiling. "So, who did you want to invite?"

"What?" The red-head was fiddling with her shirt sleeve.

"You said you wanted to invite someone."

"No, not-no one. I mean, I meant a hypothetical someone, which is to say no one. What are we celebrating?" _'Is she lying?'_ I silently wondered while raising a brow.

"I'm in. The Initiative. Professor Walsh gave me the grand tour, and we're talking grand as in canyon. You'd never believe the size of it."

"That's really....again, I say neat. So, what do you mean exactly? You've joined them?"

"No, not exactly." Buffy shook her head. "It just means that when I patrol, I'll have a heavily armed team backing me up." She looked to the side. "Plus, boyfriend going to work with me-big extra perk." She grinned.

"Buffy, do you really think this is a good idea?" Willow asked. "I mean, don't you think you're rushing things a little?"

"I thought you liked Riley." Buffy's smile fell.

"Not with Riley. With the Initiative. I mean, there's a bunch of stuff about them we still don't know."

"I know that." The blonde raised a shoulder while looking down. Then, she looked right at Willow. "Like what?"

"Well, what's their ultimate agenda?" The witch nodded. "I mean, OK, yeah, they neuter vampires and demons. But then what? Are they gonna reintegrate them into society? Get them jobs as bag boys at Wal-Mart?" Willow had a point.

"Does Wal-Mart have bag boys?"

"Plus, don't forget that 314 thing that Ethan told Giles about."

"Well, a man that worships Chaos and tries to kill you is a man you can trust." Buffy said with sarcasm.

"Well, bad info or not, I just think there's certain questions you should ask before you go off and enlist." Suddenly, there was a beeping and Buffy was digging through her bag. "When did you get a pager? What's going on?"

"That's our cue." Riley walked up. "Mother wants us."

"Wil...." Buffy said while standing up.

"I know. Talk later." And then she and Riley left. I saw Willow's face and felt a little heavy inside.

"Hey, how about we do something?" I asked her.

"Like what?" She looked at me while playing with the straw in her cup.

"Uh....what is there to do around here?" She got a small smile on her face.

"You know, how about we come back here another time? When everyone is here, then we'll be able to properly show you how to have fun in Sunnydale." Her smiled was genuine this time.

"Sure." I nodded. "Just let me know when."

~

"I don't know how many more ways I can say I'm not interested." Pops told Xander.

"How many languages can you speak and write in?" I popped off.

"Well, try one. Check out these flavors: Cherry Berry, Maple Walnut, ooh, Almond Licorice."

"Ew." Anya's face scrunched up.

"Anya, we don't say _'Ew'_ in front of potential customers."

"Just skip this part and tell him you want money to buy me pretty things." She told him as Pops was walking back into the room. "He'll understand."

"Very well." He sighed. "Um, Maple Walnut." _'Heh, you chose the safest sounding one.'_ I smirked.

"An excellent choice." Xander reached into one of the boxes and pulled out the food bar. After handing it to Pops, he watched closely as he opened up the wrapper and took a bite. He chewed for a few seconds before making a ' _done'_ face.

"Please leave my home now." Pops said with his mouth full. He dropped the bar straight onto the table as I began to laugh.

"It's the, uh, gritty texture, isn't it?" Xander asked. "Maybe you're more of a Cherry Berry fellow." He tried giving another bar to Giles for him to try it, but Pops was busy looking for something to spit the food out into. Then, there was a banging on the door. Pops went to answer when the banging continued, but the door burst open and a vampire ran in.

"Close the door!" He shouted while Giles went to calmly shut it.

"Spike? You may wanna give up the morning jogs." Xander was looking over the back of the couch.

"Soldier boys are out in force." He said while panting. "I been trying to keep 'em off my scent, run 'em in circles, but they keep coming." Once the door was closed, Spike dropped the tarp he was using for cover.

"And....how is this our concern?" Pops asked. "Seeing that you've expressed a desire to have nothing more to do with us."

"Spike said that?" Xander asked.

"Mm-hmm." Getting up from the barstool, I grabbed the tarp off the floor and rolled it up. Putting it on the table, it was now out of the way.

"That hurts." The human male in the couch said. Glancing over, I noticed Spike rubbing his shoulder as if it were in pain.

"All right. What do you want me to say? I need help. And no cheek from you." He pointed to Pops who then zipped his mouth shut with his fingers. "Look, the buggers shot me-ow-....in the back." Spike turned around while shrugging off his coat to show Giles the wound.

"Remind me. Why should I help you?" Pops asked while sitting on the edge of the table.

"Because you do that. You're the goody good guys. You're the bloody frickin' cavalry." Spike pulled his coat back on.

"You can come up with a better answer that that. Why should _I_ help you?"

"Oh, because I helped you." The vampire smirked while pointing at Giles who had his arms crossed. "When you turned into that Fyarl demon. I helped you, didn't I?"

"And that was out of the, uh, _'evilness of your heart'_?" I asked while crossing my arms.

"Oh, Hell no. I made him pay me." Spike was starting to laugh until he cut himself off at the realization of what Pops was getting at. He looked from Giles, to me, then back before glaring. "You right bastard." Pops gave a victory smile and stood up as Spike dug out the money from his pockets. Sticking the crumpled bills into his hand, the vampire pointed. "That's all that's left. Spent the rest on blood and smokes," He scoffed. "which I'll never see again."

Xander was shaking his head at Spike as Pops put the money in a drawer.

"Aw, come on. Circle the wagons. Tend to the wounded here. No time for layabouts."

"Take off your coat and shirt, then sit down, blood breath." I said while pulling out a chair.

"Oh, what a peach you are, furball." Spike replied while shrugging off his coat.

"Call me that again and I'll make you choke on your own limbs." I glared.

"Heh, Aud can be kind of scary, can't she?" Xander laughed a little nervously.

"Only if you're a cracker thief." Narrowing my eyes, Spike gave me a look while pulling off his shirt.

"Oh, come off it. They were just bloody crackers."

"Never mess with Aud's food unless you wish to endure the wrath that follows." Pops snickered as the vampire straddled the chair. After he was seated, Giles got his gloves on and the necessary items to remove the bullet in Spike's shoulder. Anya and Xander held flashlights over the wound as Pops set to work.

"Ow! Watch it. That hurts." Spike clenched his jaw.

"It doesn't appear to be a bullet." Pops squinted. "And it's too deeply embedded for a tranquilizer dart...."

"Also not tranquil."

"Some sort of illumination emanating from it. It's blinking." He sounded surprised.

"I don't care if it's playing _Rockin' the Casbah_ on the bloody Jew's harp, just get it out of me." Spike growled.

"All right, Aud, there's a bottle of cognac in the cabinet next to the sink. Will you get it for me?" I nodded while rising to my feet.

"What, you gonna get snockered now?"

"It's not for me, you prat." Giles sighed. "If I'm gonna operate on you, I need you anesthetized. This'll take some time." I came back with the bottle as Xander was shaking his head.

"We don't have any. My pseudo-soldier memory bank tells me that's a tracer."

"A what?" Pops and Spike asked as I unscrewed the cap on the cognac.

"It's like a homing beacon. And if commando guys are reading the signal, they're coming home." Sitting back down in front of Spike, I handed him the alcohol.

"Well, we need to buy some time. It's in deep, and I'm no surgeon." Pops said as the vampire took a gulp of the cognac.

"Well, I could always just pull it out with my claws." I suggested while raising a hand as my nails sharpened and grew longer. Everyone gave me a look, but the one Spike gave was priceless.

"No. No, Giles, you can't let her stick those into me!" Spike was shaking his head while looking at Pops.

"Oh, you wuss." I rolled my eyes.

"I'll, uh, call Willow." Giles said while putting down the tweezers and taking off his gloves before going to the phone. By the time Willow had arrived, Spike was drunk off his ass and could barely sit up in the chair. So we emptied off the table, put down a towel, and dropped the vampire on top of it. While Willow was doing her spell to ionize the air surrounding us, I went and got me a snack.

When all the lights blew out, I turned around to see everyone's hair standing on end. Covering my mouth, I hid my snickering and returned to the others while eating.

"I'd venture yes." Pops said after looking around. As time went on, Giles slowly got closer to the tracer-but the spell was also wearing thin.

"Feels and looks like the ionizing spell's wearing off." Willow said.

"Giles?" Xander looked to Pops while eating one of those food bars.

"Oh, I've got it. I've got it!" And he pulled out a little piece of metal machinery with a blinking red bulb from Spike's back. Looking at it, I scoffed. _'He can bear having that in his back, but not my claws? They're smaller than that! I could have saved us time and effort if he'd've let me just pull it out.'_ I thought. "Oh, go!" Giles handed the tweezers and tracer to Xander and he ran to get rid of it.

After that, Spike began to sober up after the cognac was taken away. I guess having a metabolism like that was a perk of being a vampire.

"It'll be dark soon." Pops said while Spike pulled his shirt back on. "I think it would be wise for you to leave Sunnydale."

"I'm not going anywhere, not until those bastards undo whatever they did to me. Put me back the way I was."

"Sure, just explain to the nice scientist guys that you really miss killing and torturing innocent people." Xander said sarcastically.

"You think that would work?" Spike furrowed his brows while asking.

"Spike, lord knows why I'm telling you this. It's for your own good. As long as the Initiative is in operation, it's not safe for you here."

"No." We all turned to see Buffy walk in. "It's not safe for any of us." She looked at each and every one of us with a serious expression on her face.


	8. Sweet sensations

"So, Maggie sends me down into the sewers with one of those blasto-guns, and the next thing I know, it's raining monsters." Buffy explained while walking around. Pops was cleaning up after operating on Spike and we were all listening to the Slayer intently.

"Hallelujah." Xander popped off.

"And then this gate slams down behind me, an-and I try to use the gun, but it goes pffft." Buffy used a hand gesture for emphasis.

"You're saying that Maggie Walsh set you up?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. She sent me on a one-way recon."

"Got to hand it to you, Goldilocks." Spike said while sitting on the stairs. "You do have bleeding tragic taste in men." He looked down while picking at the black nail-polish on his fingertips. "I got a cousin married to a Regurgitating Frolopse's demon that's got better instincts than you."

"What does my taste in men have to do with this?" Buffy asked.

"You think Riley was out knitting booties for your future offspring while Maggie was stringin' you up?" There was a silent pause as Buffy looked at us.

"You guys think Riley had something to do with this?"

"Probably not, but, um....we'd be remiss if we didn't think of all the possibilities." Pops said while sitting on the table.

"Right." Buffy shifted on her feet while putting her hands into her pockets. "Remiss..... No." She paused. "No. Maggie made sure that he was nowhere around when she sent me on this very special _'make Buffy dead_ ' assignment."

"Plus....Riley? He seems like he wouldn't tell a little white lie, let alone a whole bunch of dirty ones." Willow made a face.

"That's why they call it the Secret Forces, Wil- 'cause they kind of keep the whole lying thing to themselves." Xander spoke up.

"I'm with Buffy on this." I said, bringing attention to myself. "I mean, Riley found out I was part demon back when we fought the Vahrall, and yet, here I still am." I shrugged. "He could have tried to bring me in to the Initiative many times since then, but he hasn't." Saying that kind of made a point.

"All I know is that Maggie has it in for me, which means the Initiative has it in for me." Buffy shifted on her feet again.

"I'm guessing the mad scientist isn't too keen on the fact that the entire Scooby gang knows that the Initiative is up to no good.

"Which brings us back to the ' _not safe for any of us_ ' concept."

"What could have happened to make Professor Walsh want to kill you?" Giles asked after walking over to the bar.

"I don't know." The blonde woman looked down. "She wasn't keen on the fact that I was asking a lot of questions, that's for sure."

"So you were getting too close to something." Anya said.

"Clearly." Pops began to put the things back onto the table. "Although, one can only imagine what she'd be so desperate to hide."

"Okay, everybody grab a weapon. We've gotta move." Buffy said after Xander and Anya had gotten off of the weapon's chest.

"And storm the Initiative?" Xander asked as Buffy handed him an axe. "Yeah. Let's take on those suckers."

"I was thinking more that we'd hide."

"Oh, thank god."

"Buffy, I think perhaps we should talk about this." Pops said while standing up all the way and putting his hands into his pockets.

"We need to relocate someplace we're less likely to be found. We need to come up with a plan

"We could go to my place." Willow offered.

"The Initiative guys know how close we are." Buffy shook her head. "They'll automatically check the places that you hang out." She looked to the side. "Xander, what about your basement? The guys haven't seen us together that much, and there's enough room."

"Ooh, plus mirror ball." Willow grinned.

"Cool. Come on down and boogie at Xander's hideaway."

"Yes. Come boogie." Anya said with a smile.

"Absolutely not." Pops refused. "I will not squat in that dank hole."

"What, it was good enough for me, but you're above it all?" Spike popped off.

"It's actually not that bad once you get over the smell." I shrugged. Pops got this look on his face like he forgot he had sent me there for a while as well.

"Besides, I don't see why we can't stay right where we are." Giles sat down while laughing. "It's very unlikely those Initiative boys are gonna come around here to look for our-"

"Buffy." Riley interrupted while walking in.

"You were saying?" I teased Pops.

"God, Buffy, are you okay? What happened?" The tall man walked towards the short blonde. _'Oh, please don't do couple-y stuff.'_ I mentally begged.

"You know?" Buffy asked.

"I know something went down. Tell me."

"Maggie tried to kill me."

"It didn't work, but they're all upset, anyway." Anya added.

"OK, listen. I need you to go over everything, step by step. There has to-has to be some kind of mistake." Riley said.

"There was no mistake." Xander spoke clearly. "And how do you know something happened?"

"I was on a mission, but I came back and....I'm not sure. Look, let's just keep our heads and not jump to any-" Riley was looking around at each of us, but cut himself off when he saw Spike on the stairs. The vampire turned his head away while tapping his fingers on his legs.

"What?" Buffy asked when Riley took a step back.

"That's Hostile 17."

"Um, no. I'm just a friend of Xander's." He tried using the southern accent again, then sighed and looked directly at the man. "Bugger it. I'm your guy." He rolled his eyes before giving me a _'can you_ _believe this?'_ look.

"This is Spike. He's, um...." Buffy began. "It's a really long story, but he's not bad anymore."

"Hey! What am I, a bleeding broken record?" Spike stood up and hopped off the stairs. "I'm bad. It's just....I can't bite anymore. Thanks to you wankers."

"We've been looking all over the place for him," Riley looked at Buffy. "but you've known where he's been all along?"

"It's not like that."

"Then what is it like? What's he doing here? Is she even who you said she was?" He pointed at me. Crossing my arms, I sent a glare.

"Well, I'm leaving you swabs to your dramatics, thanks." Spike went towards the front door and grabbed his coat. "I've got my stories on the telly for that." Slipping his arms into his coat, he turned to Riley. "By the by, if you're trying to kill her...." And he gave a big grin while giving two thumbs up. Covering his head with his leather coat, he rushed out of the door and ran off.

"Buffy, what is this? You're hiding and HST?" Riley stepped in front of the Slayer while looking down at her.

"Why don't you just back off and let her ask the questions, Jack." Xander cut in. "Your boss just tried to make monster food out of her." Riley looked around the room before going back to Buffy.

"I-I didn't see much. I wasn't there." He sighed. "All I know is Professor Walsh told me you were dead. Then I saw you on the monitors...." He sighed again. "Look, this isn't Professor Walsh. There must be something making her act this way, something-I don't know-controlling her."

"We think Buffy may have been becoming too inquisitive, that she was getting close to something that Professor Walsh was trying to hide." Pops said while cleaning his glasses. "Any ideas what that might be?"

"What about 314? Maybe that's it?" Suggested Buffy.

"Maybe she was trying to test you. What if it was only a drill?"

"Then why bother telling you Buffy was dead?" I asked.

"Riley, it wasn't a test." Buffy said.

"See, I've heard rumors that the Initiative isn't all that we've been told. That, um, secretly, they're working towards some darker purpose, something that might harm us all." Pops leaned on the table while looking at Riley.

"No! That's-that's not what happens there."

"Riley."

"I would know." He insisted.

"Look, no one is sure of anything, okay. We-we're trying to sort it out."

"I can't be here." Riley stepped back. "I'll sort it out on my own." He went towards the door.

"Riley!" Buffy followed.

"No!" He stopped her. "Just...." He sighed from his nose. "I'm sorry." Then he left.

~

Laying in the orange chair while wrapped in a blanket, I watched cartoons with Willow, Anya, and Buffy in Xander's basement. They were all cozied up on the pull-out mattress and I watched the screen in fascination. The cartoon was called _'Road Runner'_ and was apparently about this coyote trying to kill this roadrunner, but kept failing in the most impossible ways.

"That would never happen." Buffy commented when the coyote's wrecking ball swung around and crushed the canine.

"Well, no, Buff. That's why they call them cartoons, not documentaries." Willow said.

"Must we have the noise? My head is splitting." Pops came in through the sheets dividing the sides of the basement. He turned off the TV and I was able to see his tattoo on his forearm.

"Well, look who's cranky bear in the morning."

"Yes, I can't imagine why I didn't sleep well in my beach ball." He said sarcastically.

"Every time you moved it made squeaky noises. It was irritating." Anya told Pops as he was returning to the other side.

"Really? I'm surprised you could here it over your wagnerian snoring."

"Okay, guys. Could we not, please?" Buffy asked. "Everything's screwed up enough without you two doing scenes from my parent's marriage." Anya looked back to Giles.

"Sorry." She said lowly.

"Sorry." Pops replied.

"Thank you."

"It'll be okay, Buffy. Riley's just confused, that's all." Willow said as Anya nodded in agreement with a smile.

"I don't know. Just seems like things could get heavier. His whole world's falling apart."

"And after everything you've been through with Angel." Anya furrowed her brows. "You know, you really should get yourself a boring boyfriend, like Xander." She smiled, then looked serious. "You can't have Xander."

"That was the idea. Riley was supposed to be Mr. Joe guy. We were gonna do dumb things like hold hands through the daisy's, going tra-la-la."

"Poor Buffy. Your life resists all things average."

"So dump him." Anya gave Buffy another serious look. "But you can't have Xander."

"I'll try and remember that. It's too late, anyway. I'm already at the 'I hurt when he hurts, I smile when he smiles' stage."

"I hate that part." Anya whispered.

"I'll just have to make it work."

"Wait, there's stages?" I said while scrunching up my nose.

"Yup." Willow nodded.

"Turn on the TV. Now!" Xander came downstairs while carrying a tray of food. Willow got out of bed in her plaid pajamas and turned on the television.

"Sunnydale is still reeling from news of the crime. A source in the coroner's office tells us that the boy was stabbed with what looks like some kind of large skewer," Pops's head popped in while he was brushing his teeth. "and his body was then mutilated." The female news reporter was speaking into her microphone while standing in front of some trees. "Police have not name a suspect, and the killer is still at large.

"That Polgara demon had a skewer in it's arm." Buffy looked up. "That's the one that Maggie insisted we bring back alive."

"She must have sent it after you." Giles frowned.

"And it got distracted." The Slayer looked away. "God."

"Buffy, it's not your fault. How could you know?"

"She's right. You mustn't blame yourself."

"I'm not going to." Buffy climbed out of her blankets and stood up. "I'm going to crime scene to see what I can find out. You guys research the Polgara demon. I wanna know where it is. When I find it, I'll make him die in ways he can't even imagine."

"Not as intimidating when you're covered in sushi." I said after clearing my throat. She glanced down at her attire and made a face.


	9. Infiltrating through

"Yeah, that probably would have sounded more commanding if I wasn't wearing my Yummy Sushi pajamas." Buffy mumbled.

Everyone got ready for the day after that and I had to wait in Xander's basement since I really didn't have much to offer besides my strength at the moment. Yeah, sure, I could help with the research, but Buffy had actually asked me to stay where I was for reasons I wasn't sure of myself.

After maybe an hour and a half she returned and told me to come with her. Walking out of Xander's house, she told me what she found out at the crime scene- including how Riley showed up and revealed Professor Walsh was dead.

"So, where are we headed?" I asked while following the Slayer down the street.

"A demon bar. We're gonna get some information." Buffy replied.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to tag along?" My brows knit together as I looked at the back of the blonde's head.

"Of course- I've seen you fight, you can take care of yourself if something goes down." She turned a corner and I followed.

"Thanks, but you know....demon bar....there's going to be a bunch of demons...." I walked beside her now and she glanced at me.

"That's why I'm bringing you. If you're going to be a part of the gang, your assets are going to be put to use in the field." For some reason that made me smile. Also, I could see why she was such a good Slayer with how she portrayed her leadership skills. "Okay, don't go demon-y unless you think the moment's right. Don't want to show off our weapons too early in a fight." I nodded as Buffy and I entered the bar. It was fairly nice inside with it being an establishment for the inhuman. The Slayer made eye-contact with the bartender and he made a gesture with his head. Walking over, people gave brief glances in our direction before we even reached the bar.

"You're killing me here." The bartender said lowly while leaning over the bar. Buffy crossed her arms while resting her forearms on the bar.

"Oh, missed you, too. Joint's jumping." She commented while briefly looking around. A vampire quickly got up and left his seat that was next to Buffy.

"Yeah. You know, I'm making some changes with my life. I'm getting away from my old image." The bartender waved his hands.

"You mean as a double-dealing snitch?" Buffy asked while tilting her head.

"Uh-huh. I know you're gonna think I'm blowing smoke, but after the Apocalypse demon nearly did me in, I had an experience of the spiritual variety." He moved his hands a lot while he talked.

"That's swell, really, but I need to know if you've heard anything about a Polgara demon doing some killings in the last few days." The guy looked away while grinning and I saw Buffy raise one of her fingers in the slightest bit.

"See, that's the thing. I don't talk behind people's backs no more. And I'm bringing some class to the joint, you know? It's _Willy's Place_ now, see?" He pointed out the neon sign behind him, but I kept my attention on Buffy's hand. I knew it was a signal without her having to tell me so, and that meant I needed to pay attention for when she made it. "Brings in a better clientele." The bartender smiled. "I got one of those deep fryers. These demons just go crazy for chicken fingers." 

"Look," He sighed while looking around. "If they see me dealing with you, then I'm just the same old Willy, working both sides of the street."

"I'm gonna have to punch you, aren't I?"

"Just once, and it don't have to hurt. Just make it look good." Then, Buffy's finger went down. Grabbing the man by his shirt collar, I banged his head against the bar. Not hard enough to really injure him, just enough to hurt-then I growled viciously while baring my sharp teeth.

"What have you heard about the Polgara?" Buffy asked.

"I heard there was one around a week or two back." He said while cringing and feeling his hurt nose. "Word was you got him. You and those army guys." He grabbed a towel and made sure his nose wasn't bleeding with it.

"And that was the last you heard?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah. As far as I know, he's off the streets."

"What about those army guys? What do you know about 314?" Buffy was asking, but the bartender was looking at me.

"Isn't she a demon?"

"Yes, and it's clear whose side she's on, isn't it? Now, answer my questions." He was about to speak, but someone walked in and from the smell I knew it was Riley. "What are you doing here, following me?" Buffy asked him.

"You told me you were tracking the Polgara demon. I thought I'd help. But now I see you're not hunting demons, you're socializing with them....again." He began to raise his voice and Buffy crossed her arms again. "Thought you were supposed to be killing these things, not buying them drinks." The idiot was attracting attention from every demon in the bar.

"Oh, that's smooth, officer Riley." Buffy smiled while speaking sarcastically. "They teach you those undercover moves in Special Forces?"

"You know, I'm serious, Buffy. What are you doing here?"

"Just cooling her dogs like the rest of us." Willy piped in. "Why don't you sit down and relax?"

"I want you to tell me. Who are you?" Riley leaned closer to Buffy, and I realized he wasn't looking too well....

"No kidding? How about I get you some chicken fingers on the house?" Willy asked.

"Look, think you could shut up?" Riley looked at the bartender and I crossed my arms.

"Look, I'm just saying-"

"I said shut up, or maybe you'd like to go back to the lab with me?" Buffy's face showed how upset she was getting with Riley's behavior. "I'm sure the coats would love to classify a- whatever you are." He waved a hand at Willy.

"Leave him alone, Riley. He's human." Buffy told him.

"So, he's human."

"You're shaking." Buffy finally noticed the man's condition.

"He just harbors demons, which makes him a good guy like you?" He then roughly grabbed Buffy by the shoulder and looked her in the eye. "The truth, Buffy, now." He demanded. I moved, but Buffy stopped me with a look.

"You have the truth. You are just too screwed up because of what happened to Professor Walsh to see it. Now, let go of me." She forcefully took Riley's hands off of her. Someone got up from the bar to leave, but Riley turned their way.

"Hold it! You. No leaving till I say so, got it?" He drew his gun, his hand unsteady, and his eyes were full of hate and anger.

"Hey. We got new rules here. No killing." Willy pointed at Riley.

"Right. Except the rules don't seem to apply much these days, do they?" He looked back at us before returning his gaze to the seemingly terrified woman at the other end of his gun. "Like if I shot you right now. I don't know if I'd have a corpse on my hands or one pissed off vampire."

"Riley." Buffy said with a certain tone.

"I mean, who do you believe? First it sounds like lies, then it sounds like truth."

"Riley." Buffy said in a softer voice, trying to get him to lower the gun. The woman began to whimper and everyone was watching Riley. He swung his firearm down onto the bar while putting his hands there as well. He accidentally broke a glass, and the woman fled. "Oh, what's happening to me?" He asked.

Helping Buffy to drag him out of the demon bar safely, we went back to Xander's basement and the Slayer took care of the commando.

"How is he?" Pops asked when Buffy crossed the sheet border.

"This isn't just some grief making him act this way. Something's affecting him physically, and it's getting worse."

"Think Professor Walsh did something to him?" Anya asked.

"I don't know, but I'm ready to find out."

"That's gonna be tough, what with Maggie's deadness and all." Xander said.

"She must have kept records somewhere-about Riley, about 314, about all of it. And I'm sure she wasn't the only person that knew what she was up to." Buffy looked as if she was thinking.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Giles, Anya, keep researching. Xander, you and I are going undercover."

"Hey." Anya stepped up. "Remember before- no Xander, not in a boyfriend way or a _'lead him to certain death'_ way."

"He's the only one with military experience."

"It's not like he was in the 'Nam. He was G.I. Joe for one night."

"It's okay, Anya. I've backed up Buffy before."

"Can't you do something else to help them, like....xerox handouts or something?" Anya looked up at Xander.

"I'll be careful. Promise." He then touched Anya's shoulders while giving a reassuring smile. Clearing my throat, I looked at Buffy.

"What can I do?" I asked.

"Actually, I need you to go and try to get information from Spike." Everyone looked at her.

"He wouldn't talk when we had him tied up, why would he talk now that he's a free range vampire?" Xander was the first to say something.

"Because Aud is the person he dislikes the least out of us at the moment since she is fairly new. They don't have as much hate between them as we do."

"Heh," Giles scoffed. "That's what you think. They were bickering like children most of the time."

"Thanks, Pops." I said sarcastically while crossing my arms.

"Well, fighting like children is better than like mortal enemies." Anya said while shrugging.

"Look, I'll go. If he won't talk, I'll just remind him that I do have claws." I shrugged.

"You know, it'd be okay if you _'accidentally_ ' stake him in the progress." Xander smiled. Grinning, I nodded before heading out.

~

When I got to Spike's crypt, I snuck in while looking around.

"Spike?" I called out when I saw his TV smashed and smelled human scents. "Hey! Blood breath!" I rose my voice.

"What the bloody Hell do you want?" The vampire came walking out with a pissed off expression.

"Came to get some info."

"Oh, yeah? Sorry, you just missed business hours. Come back....never." He said while walking past me.

"Hey, where are you going?" I asked while following him out of his crypt.

"None of your business, short stack." And he kept walking.

"Fine. Be that way, jerk." I stopped in the middle of the cemetery while crossing my arms. Spike glanced back at me for a second, shrugged, then waved over his shoulder while walking away. "I'll just follow you." I mumbled and waited for a good distance to be between us.

Tracking Spike, I began to recognize the way he was headed after a while. The vampire was headed to the demon bar I had been at with Buffy earlier that day. When I got to the parking lot, I witnessed some demons tossing Spike out of the bar. The vampire's face was bloody and the demon standing over him was big.

"You've been making war on the demon world."

"War?" Spike was still laying on the ground while looking up at the demon.

"With the Slayer. You kill other demons, and the rest of us don't hold with that."

"I'd advise you to back away from the bloodsucker." I said as I crossed my arms and stood a few feet away.

"And why would I do that?" The demon looked up at me, having a certain tone in his voice.

"Oh, great." Spike rolled his eyes when he saw me. "Aren't you a smart one, short stuff?"

"Shut up, Spike. You know, I have half a mind for even trying to help you." Walking over, I bent down to help the vampire up. "But I was raised better."

"What do you think you're doing?" The demon grabbed my arm as I was pulling up Spike by his coat.

"Get your hand off of me." I began to snarl as my teeth sharpened. Waiting a few seconds, I dropped Spike and he 'oofed' as I reared back a fist. I swung just as my tail was growing out, and the demon flew back when my knuckles made contact. "All right, let's get you out of here." I grabbed the vampire and pulled him to his feet. Putting his arm over my shoulders, I helped him walk away from the demon bar. "Back to the crypt or to another bar fight? Oh, and now you owe me the info I came for." I said with a laugh.

"Sod off." He growled.


	10. Sweet Sensations

"So, here it is. The latest in the state-of-the-art combat technology." Xander said as he took apart an Initiative weapon. He was trying to fix it while attempting to figure out how it worked. "I gotta say, it doesn't look that complicated."

"So can you repair it?" Buffy asked.

"Sure. Just as soon as I get my master's degree in advanced starship technology."

"Well, why don't we experiment?" Willow asked. Pops and I were sitting down, folding a basket of laundry. "Press some buttons, see what happens."

"Well, I'd like to veto that." Pops said while folding a pair of boxers.

"Second." Xander raised a hand. "It's called a Blaster, Wil. A word that tends to discourage experimentation. Now, if it were called the Orgasminator, I'd be the first to try your basic button-pressing approach."

"Just tell me, can you repair it or not?"

"I'm workin' on it, I'm workin' in it." Pulling a shirt from the basket, I folded it. For the past few days Buffy had been patrolling almost non-stop. I was with her, helping her look for Adam, but she was getting tired. Unlike me- even though she was the Slayer-she was still human. While Willow and Giles were talking with Buffy, Xander ended up shocking himself while working on the Blaster.

That night, Willow and Xander joined Buffy and I on patrol. It didn't take long for us to find a sign of Adam, he always left the bodies strung up like displayed dissections, only this time it was a red skinned demon with curled horns and reptilian feet. We could tell the body was fresh because there was steam still coming out from the gaping, empty hole in it's torso.

After Riley showed up, we had all gone to Pops's place. We discussed the major problem that is Adam, and Riley got the Blaster in working condition in just a couple of seconds. Everyone was coming up with ideas on ways to defeat Adam, but most of them weren't very good....

Pops hopped up when the phone began to ring, and I went to the kitchen for some food. I grabbed the bread, peanut butter, jelly, and two knives. Placing the materials onto the counter, I set to work on making my sandwiches. But not even a moment into making them, I paused and looked up when I heard Buffy's tone change.

"It's Faith." Buffy paused. "She's awake." She turned around while looking at everyone. "She beat someone up, took her clothing, and disappeared out of the hospital. No one knows where she is."

"I'd say this qualifies for a worst timing ever award." Xander sighed.

"What do we do?" Willow asked.

"Well, we have to find her." Pops leaned on the bar.

"But what about Adam?"

"I'd hate to see the pursuit of a homicidal lunatic get in the way of pursuing a homicidal lunatic."

"Well, Faith's not exactly low-profile girl. I'll patrol, then wait for her to make a move." Buffy said.

"Then what?"

"Oh, I have an idea!" Willow piped up. _'Why does the name Faith sound familiar....?'_ I thought with furrowed brows while going back to my sandwiches. "Beat the crap out of her." The witch smiled.

"Good plan."

"Good on paper, but we still have a decision to make. Do we hand her over to the cops? I mean, they wouldn't know what to do with a Slayer, even if they knew we existed." Buffy looked around. _'Oh, yeah! Faith!'_ It dawned on me. _'Oh, yeah. Faith.'_ Mentally growling, I remembered what all I had heard about Faith.

"What about the Council?"

"Been there, tried that. Not unlike smothering a forest fire with napalm, as I recall." Xander said.

"The Initiative. They do have, uh, containment facilities." Pops suggested.

"One word-evil." Xander shot his idea down.

"There's no way around it. Faith is back, and whether I like it or not....she's my responsibility." Buffy looked around and I put one of my sandwiches together before starting on another one.

"Yeah, too bad." Willow sighed. "That was the funnest coma ever." Xander nodded his agreement.

"We have no idea where she is. We don't know what she's thinking, what she's feeling."

"Who she's doing." Xander added.

"She could be terrified." Buffy continued. "Maybe she doesn't even remember. Or-or maybe she does an-and she's sorry and she's alone, hiding somewhere.

"Um, perhaps there's some form of, uh, rehabilitation we just haven't thought about." Pops said before taking a sip of his tea.

"And if not, ass-kicking makes a solid plan 'B'."

"I'm not gonna rule it out. First thing-we need to find her. Then we can take it from there." Buffy finished talking and there was a silent pause.

"Who's Faith?" Riley asked.


	11. Hot temptations

"Hey, Buffy." I smiled while seeing the short blonde leaving Pops's place as I was arriving. "I'd wave, but as you can see, my hands are full with snacks." Shrugging as I held onto the plastic bags, she just looked at me like she didn't know who I was.

"Oh hey....you!" She pointed while grinning. "How's it been?" _'What the Hell's going on?'_ I thought, finding her reaction rather....strange.

"So, out on patrol?" I asked.

"Yeah." She awkwardly shifted on her feet while putting her hands onto her hips.

"Oh, give me a sec and I'll join you, unless you wanna go alone...." Watching her, I took note of her posture and body language, even how she spoke and her tone.

"Nah, I'm good. You just go on and....do whatever it is you were doing."

"You sure? Pops wouldn't mind me going." My brows furrowed as I noticed something wrong with Buffy. She even smelled wrong.

"Pops?" She looked utterly confused.

"You know?" I shifted on my feet. "Giles? Your Watcher, my dad, the man who lives in the house you just came from?"

"Your dad." She sounded surprised. _'This isn't Buffy.'_ I shifted on my feet again. _'Okay, just act like you don't notice, then find Willow. This might be something magic related like last time.'_ "Of course, sorry. I'm just a little out of it at the moment, you know, fighting Faith and everything."

"Okay, well, good luck on your patrol." I quickly gave a smile and went inside to put down the bags. Immediately afterwards, I headed out to find Willow by following the scent trail she had left behind. I wondered onto Willow and Buffy's college campus, then into a dorm. Going down halls and past rooms, I followed my nose to a certain door. Taking in a deep breath, I knocked.

"Yes? Oh, Aud. What are you doing here?" Willow answered the door. In the background, I saw another woman in front of a desk with a book opened up. Looking at Willow, I cringed.

"Please don't think I'm crazy, but I just ran into Buffy a bit ago and it wasn't really Buffy, it just looked like her-but it didn't act like her, or even sound like her." I watched her, waiting for a reaction. She smiled and invited me in.

"Yeah, we know. We were just about to do a ritual to find out where the real Buffy is." Willow lead me into the dim room with white Christmas lights on the walls.

"Wow....nice room...." I mumbled while looking around.

"Thanks." The other woman gave shy smile.

"Oh, right." Willow pointed at the woman. "This is Tara, Tara, this is Aud."

"Is-is your name Odd, or is something odd?" She asked. That was the first time someone asked that.

"The name's Aud- like A-U-D." I smiled before holding out my hand. "Nice to meet you."

"N-nice to m-m-meet you, too." The woman was extremely shy and reminded me of a baby deer. She shook my hand and gasped. "You're-"

"A half-demon." I nodded. "Only half, though. You must be a powerful witch or something to pick that up so easily." I grinned while putting my hands into my pockets.

"Oh, I'm not....I'm just a normal witch."

"Uh-huh." I glanced at Willow. "So, how can I help?"

"Um....Tara?" Willow looked to the other woman.

"This is good, actually. Sh-she can act as a p-power source." Tara looked at me. "You h-have a lot of energy-it could really help in making this spell more l-likely to succeed." She looked down while fumbling with her sleeves.

"For now, my strength is at your disposal." I gave a smile while nodding. Tara and Willow began to set up the ritual, even going to the extent of anointing Willow before we got started.

~

"Giles!" Willow, Tara, and I burst through the front door.

"Wil." There was a woman with long, wavy, brown hair standing there. I didn't recognize her face, but I did he scent.

"Oh, my God."

"Willow, wait. You don't understand."

"You're Buffy. You and Faith switched bodies, probably through a _Draconian Katra_ spell." Willow said.

"So, this is what Faith looks like?" I asked and Willow nodded.

"She understands it better than I do." Pops said.

"How did you-"

"Tara. Tara, this is Buffy, only really this time." They smiled during introductions.

"Hi." Tara waved.

"Tara's a really powerful witch."

"Not really." Tara said while looking down.

"No, really. She knew right away that you weren't you."

"And that I was part demon when we shook hands!" I added.

"So we connected to the Nether Realms to-to find out what happened and we conjured this." The redhead opened a small wooden box with a green orb of light inside it.

"What is-" Buffy asked.

"It's a _Katra_." Willow answered. Pops walked over to take a closer look. "Or the home-conjured version. It should switch you back, if you get a hold of Faith."

"Oh, thank God." Buffy gave a relieved sigh. After that, Buffy went to go free church hostages from their vampire captives. By the end of that, Buffy and Faith were back in their original bodies, but Faith had run off.


	12. Coming over you

"Xander! Anya!" Buffy yelled as she kicked a vampire off of her. We were all out patrolling when we had come across a few of the pulse-lacking bloodsuckers.

"Buffy, Aud, another one!" Willow shouted. Buffy was still on the ground as a vampire was leaping at her. Doing a jumping round-house kick, the vampire tumbled to the ground as I helped Buffy to her feet. "Buffy!" Willow shouted again and tossed the Slayer a stake to take down a vampire.

"Where's the other one?"

"Scampered like a big bumpy bunny." Xander said while pointing behind Buffy and I.

"In there." Anya added while pointing. Running to follow Buffy, we ended up finding ourselves entering a crypt, home to a nest of feeding vampires. Looking around to see how many there were in total, we quickly backed out while desperately trying not to get caught.

"I don't care if it is an orgy of death, there's still such a thing as a napkin." Willow said.

"A nest. No biggie. I bet I could do it. I mean, I know I could take at least two." Buffy walked behind Willow and Anya.

"Yes. And then we could run for help while the other three suck your heart out through your neck." Anya looked back at the Slayer.

"You're right." Buffy sighed. "It's too many for just us. You know who we need." She looked at each of us.

~

Soon, we were making our way through a large, ornate mansion. Walking towards a desk in the office, Buffy began to nervously fidget and I crossed my arms while looking around the room.

"Uh, hi." Buffy spoke up. "We have a problem." The chair at the desk turned around and the dark haired male in the chair was smiling.

"Sounds like you could use my help." Jonathan said while smirking. He had agreed to help us, so he followed us back to Pops's house so we could prepare for the attack on the nest.

Pops was hitting the books while Willow was on her laptop, and Buffy was pantomiming her punches in preparation. Anya was eating cereal and Xander was trying to master his quick draws as Jonathan was testing out the mini-crossbow. I, on the other hand, was warming up by doing hanging sit-ups from the side of the staircase.

"I can't find a reference to any rituals." Pops said after closing a book. "Seems more like a....family meal, if you will." He took off his glasses while smirking.

"And they say no one eats without the TV on anymore." Buffy commented.

"Thanks, Rupert. Well, it's good to know we're not walking into the unholy feast of something or other." Jonathan joked.

"Oh, Jonathan, I'm in!" Willow said excitedly when here laptop beeped. "Schematics for the crypt. Part of the original plan for the cemetery." The short, male, human walked over to Willow and leaned over the back of the couch to see the screen of the laptop. "Sometimes there's a-oh, no back way in. Just the one entrance." Willow was typing away on the keyboard.

"Well, maybe we can make it work for us. We-we could stake out the entrance. You know, uh, maybe use a decoy?" Buffy offered. "Lure them out."

"Or I bet...." Some tapping followed. "There. I can get in that way."

"Oh, of course. Why didn't I think of that?"

"I'm sure you would have. I think we have a plan." Jonathan said and I stopped doing sit-ups and just hung upside-down. He was handing out weapons before looking to Buffy. "Buffy, you go in first. Let 'em get a look at the Slayer. Xander-" He cut off when he neared the chess board. "The Nimsowitsch defense. Let's see if I remember." Pops put his glasses back on as Jonathan messed with a chess piece. "Mm-hmm. Mate in four. You almost got me that time Rupert. Xander, Willow, Aud, and Anya, you back up Buffy. I'll be the surprise guest. Everyone, let's show these fiends that they came to the wrong town."

Going in, we stormed in through the front door. Gaining all the attention from the vampires, Jonathan came in through the blacked out sun roof. He landed on his feet with feline-like grace as glass came raining down before he took out most of the nest.

"I should have gotten that one." Buffy pouted.

"You got two of them." Jonathan smiled at her. "And that second one was ready for you. You should feel pretty good."

"But I let one get by me."

"Hey, don't worry. You know it only matters that you do your best." The short man walked out of the crypt with the rest of the Scoobies following behind.

"But that's just it. I don't think it was my best." Buffy told him as they were leaving. When everyone was gone, I let out a sigh while putting my hands onto my hips. Everywhere I went it was _'Jonathan_ _this'_ or ' _Jonathan that'_. Everyone loved the shorty, but I honestly disliked him. Maybe it was because of his flirty attitude or the way he smelled- I just wasn't sure why I didn't like him.

Taking in a deep breath, I went up the crypt stairs and into the outside world. Sneaking up at the back of the pack, no one had noticed my absence due to Jonathan shining so brightly.

"Vampires only form nests to make hunting easier. They're not big on cooperation." I heard the little pipsqueak saying. "They mostly like to hang out all creepy and alone in the shadows. Don't you agree, Spike?" Jonathan looked to the side and the said vampire came out from behind a tree.

"Well, well. The man himself." Spike circled him like a predator.

"What are you doing here?" Jonathan asked while circling too. _'Looks like a chihuahua and a pitbull....'_ I mentally noted while watching them.

"I live here. I wasn't exactly pining for a noisy visit from Wonder Jonathan and his fluffy battle kittens." Baring my teeth, I growled a warning at the vampire until Jonathan gave me a look.

"Yeah? You think that one up with all the time you spend not being able to bite people?" Buffy popped off.

"Careful. He's still pretty dangerous." Jonathan cautioned.

"Yeah, back off, Betty."

"It's Buffy, you big, bleached....stupid guy." Buffy tried to insult him, but failed and he rolled his eyes at her attempt.

"Spike." Jonathan stepped forward. "You're the worst type of scum. The second you're back to your old tricks, well...." The short man looked even shorter when he tried to square up to Spike. "let's just say before you even sniff out your first victim, you'll be pretty indistinguishable from-oh, what should we say?- instant soup mix." Then Jonathan walked off.

"Wait....what kind of soup mix?" I mumbled while hearing my stomach grumble at the mention of food.

~

While the guys were at the Bronze, I was home polishing my blades and listening to Pops talk about Jonathan. By the time all of my blades were polished, Pops was still talking. Mostly about Jonathan's ability to play chess so well. Just to escape the praises, I left the living room to go take a shower.

~

"I'm just saying, it doesn't make any sense." Buffy was trying to tell us something was off about Jonathan. "He starred in _The Matrix_ , but he never left town. And how did he graduate from Med school? He's only eighteen years old."

"I guess you could call it a glitch in the Matrix." I smirked. After a few seconds of nothing, I pouted. _'Well, I thought it was pretty punny....'_

"Effective time management." Xander said.

"I'm sorry, Buffy, but I just don't understand what you're trying to say." Pops said from the kitchen.

"Yeah, and when is Jonathan gonna get here and start the meeting?" Anya asked with a bored voice and expression.

"This is the meeting."

"This is the meeting?" Willow glanced around.

"Well, I was just kind of....wondering if maybe anyone else thought that....Jonathan was kind of too perfect?" Buffy began to pace.

"No, he's not." Xander crossed his arms. "He's just perfect enough. He crushed the bones of the Master," He began to count off on his fingers while walking towards us. "he blew up the bug snake made out of mayor, and he coached the U.S. women's soccer team to a stunning world cup victory. We saw him doing those things." Xander sat down on a bar stool.

"But that's just it." Buffy went back to pacing. "I'm not entirely sure that we can trust our memories. Anya, tell them about the alternate universes."

"Oh, okay, um...." The ex-demon turned her chair in her chair to look at the others. "Say you really like shrimp a lot, or we could say you don't like shrimp at all. _'Blah, I wish there weren't any shrimp'_ , you'd say to yourself."

"Stop." Buffy cut in. "You're saying it wrong." Sitting down on the stairs, I listened closely to Buffy. "I think Jonathan may be doing something so that he's manipulating the world, and we're all, like, his pawns."

"Or prawns." Anya grinned and Buffy slowly looked at her.

"Stop with the shrimp. I am trying to do something here."

"Of course, but, um, I think you may be a little out of your depth." Pops said while eating.

"I'm not." Buffy's voice was low.

"Sounds like nonsense." Riley spoke up. "But I'm starting to know this girl pretty well," He rose to his feet and went to Buffy's side. "and I think she sees things that the rest of us don't. I think, for once, we should follow her lead." A silent pause followed as Buffy looked around the room.

"Hey, that might be why I actually don't like the little pipsqueak." There were gasps around the room.

"Aud! It is not nice to call people names, especially Jonathan." Pops looked at me.

"Oops."

"I think Jonathan might be ignoring evidence. I think he might have let Tara get hurt."

"On purpose?" Willow asked.

"No!" Buffy quickly shook her head. "No."

"How did he ignore evidence?"

"The monster had a mark on it. Jonathan saw it and he kind of....blinked."

"He blinked. The man moistens his eyeballs, and we're having a meeting about it." Xander said.

"He knows something about the monster. He was reacting to the mark. Oh! Wait." Buffy gasped. "I remember something. Giles, do you have a Jonathan swimsuit calendar?"

"No."

"Pops." I gave him a look.

"Yes." Giles shifted on his feet. "I-it was a gift." Grabbing it from off his table, he handed it to Buffy as everyone gathered around her.

"No. No." She began flipping through the months. "No. Whoa. No. No." Then she gasped and pointed it out. "There." Right on his shoulder was the mark.

"Oh." Willow's brows furrowed.

"Yeah, pretty darn lickable." Anya sighed.

"The other kind of oh." Willow pointed to the calendar. "That's it. That's what Tara saw."

"Why would Jonathan have to same mark as the monster?" Riley asked.

"I don't know, but he's definitely keeping a-"

"Is this a private conversation?" We all turned to see Jonathan in a black suit with a red tie leaning against the doorframe. "Or can Mr. July sit in?"

"Jonathan." Buffy said.

"Hi. Buffy was just saying how you had a monster cut up Willow's friend, and-" Anya cut herself off when the Slayer gave her a look.

"Buffy?" Jonathan stood up all the way.

"No." She shook her head before going to close the front door. "It's just-the mark. You said it was safe and it wasn't. I'm sorry, I just don't understand." Then she walked away.

"Then I'll explain." Everyone sat down, ready to listen. "Buffy is right."

"No." Xander shook his head.

"I do have a history with the creature. The monster." Jonathan continued. "The problem is every time I face it my mind becomes sort of confused. There's some kind of power it possesses."

"Oh, oh! He's like your kryptonite."

"Maybe." The pipsqueak nodded to Xander. "I just know that it takes all my energy to try and fight the confusion. That's why I had his mark tattooed on me, so that I wouldn't underestimate it next time."

"This does explain everything." Riley said while looking around.

"I knew he wouldn't do anything on purpose." I mentally rolled my eyes at Xander.

"Me, too," Willow smiled. "and the whole alternate universe thing was too freaky."

"Jonathan...." Buffy from sitting on the table. "Let's go after the monster. Right now. You and me."

"Well, I'm sure it's left town by now. That's been it's pattern."

"We can try." There was a pause before Jonathan answered.

"Sure. Let's do that." And the two of them left. Going to the kitchen to grab a snack, I froze in front of the cabinet.

"Oh, no!" I gasped in horror.

"What is it, darling?" Pops asked.

"My Swiss Rolls are gone! And I'm out of peanut butter and Moon Pies!" I quickly went to the door while grabbing my jacket. "Don't worry, I'll be right back with my babies."

"Okay, uh, we'll look for the demon's mark, try and find out how to kill it."

"Good." I gave a thumbs up before heading out the door. While I was at the store, every product and good with Jonathan's face on it vanished and was replaced by other logos and brands. And-thank Heavens-all the Jonathan posters and T-shirts vanished as well.


	13. Gonna take it slow, babe

I would have gone on patrol with Buffy but she said she was taking Riley and the last time I joined them....well....they got couple-y and I got sickly. So, I just stayed home and ate food to my heart's content....well, my stomach's, anyways.

~

"There's always been great discord between them. And yet you say that the vampire went to the demon's aid? The two of them were working as a team?" Pops asked.

"Everything except giving each other little pats on the behind." Buffy said. We were at the college campus, sitting around and discussing what Buffy and Riley had seen during their patrol. Pops had his own chair while Buffy and Riley shared, and Tara, Willow, and I sat on a couch in that order.

"Extraordinarily odd." Pops said while leaning back in his seat. "As a rule," He pointed with a the rolled up papers in his hand. "demons....have no empathy for any other species other than their own. In fact, most think of-" He leaned in and lowered his voice as people walked by. "vampire as, uh....abominations, mixing with human blood and all."

"So what brought these two together?" Riley asked.

"Not what. Who."

"Adam." Giles took off his glasses.

"Think about it. Who better to bring together a bunch of demon types than someones who's made out of a bunch of demon types." Buffy said.

"So he's, uh....bridging the gap between the races." Tara sat cross-legged on the couch.

"Huh. Like Martin Luther King."

"Uh....ahem.... I-I suggest that, uh, over the next several nights, you two concentrate your patrol in that same area." Giles put his glasses back on while looking at Buffy and Riley. "If there's any other peculiar pairings or groupings, you let me know."

"I'll let the squad know as well. They're patrolling. We'll have a, uh, reserved unit out during the party."

"Party?" Pops tilted his head.

"Tomorrow night. We're having a thing."

"At a time like this? Whose idea was that?" I face-palmed. _'Pops, I mentioned this to you already.'_ I mentally sighed. _'You probably had your head too far into a book....'_

"Mine. Boys are pretty ragged. Need to let off steam." Riley said.

"Point taken." Pops nodded.

"You're welcome to come."

"As much as I, uh....you know, long for a good kegger, I, uh, I have other plans. The, uh.... _Espresso Pump._ " Pops leaned back in the chair again.

"What are you doing there?" Tara asked.

"I'm, um....it-it's a-a meeting of-of grown-ups. It couldn't possibly be of any interest to you lot." Raising a brow at Pops, he gave me a look telling me not to say anything.

"Buffy, hey, look at the time. Don't you have a class?" Riley asked.

"Yeah, in about 20 minutes."

"Yeah, but....I have that thing...." They looked at each other and I cringed.

"Right. That thing....we could squeeze in before." _'Guys, we aren't stupid.'_

"Yeah." Buffy and Riley rose from their seat and quickly left.

"Bye!" Buffy waved.

"Gotta run."Riley added.

"They-they're probably goin' to-" Willow shifted in her seat with a grin.

"Yes, thank you, Willow. I did attend university in the Mesozoic era. I do remember what it's like."

~

Standing around with Buffy, Willow, Tara, and Xander at the party, I glanced around at all the people. The music was loud, the humans were happy and interacting, and Buffy was making googly eyes at Riley from across the room.

"How many kids?" Willow asked.

"I don't know. A whole herd of them." Xander had his hands in his pockets as he shrugged. "And some parents to boot. It's kind of embarrassing, which, welcome to the life with Anya."

"So you don't even know if she's coming tonight?" Tara asked while shaking her head.

"I'm thinking no. She was....pretty upset. Which makes me wonder. Is it me? Am I the crazy one?"

"Uh-huh. Absolutely." Buffy said in a daze.

"Hey, Buffy, this might be a good time to mention that someone- so not me-spilled something purple-y on your new peasant top, which I would never borrow without asking." Willow said. "Still love me?"

"Uh-huh." Buffy was still smiling at Riley. Willow and Tara grinned at each other. "Huh? What about my new peasant top?"

"Nothing." Willow made a face while shaking her head.

"Xander was just talking about Anya." I piped up.

"Oh, it's nothing much." Xander looked down when Buffy turned to him. "I'm just feeling pretty glad right now that a certain ex-demon doesn't have any powers." Crossing my arms, I looked around again. _'Where's the food?'_

After that, everyone sort of went off on their own. Buffy went to have sex with Riley, Xander went....I have no clue where, and Willow and Tara disappeared as well. Sighing, I went to find food. Instead, I just found a keg and a familiar face sitting in a dark corner next to it.

"Hey, buddy. You look familiar."

"Yeah. I get that a lot." Spike looked to the side and saw me. "Aud! Did you sneak out or did Papa Bear actually let you come party?" Rolling my eyes, I sat down next to the vampire while sighing.

"Pops let me come, but is this really how parties are? Where's the food for crying out loud?" Slipping off my jacket, I draped it over the back of the chair.

"Look around, this place is a bloody buffet."

"Ha, ha. Real funny, blood breath, but I don't feed off of people." Setting my cheek into my hand, I watched someone come over and fill up their cup with beer.

"Well, you're supposed to be interacting with the other quick bites."

"I don't know...." I said while looking around. "Most of these people go to college while I don't. I already graduated."

"What? How bloody old are you?" Spike asked and I sat up while turning to face him.

"Oh, I only just turned twenty. I did double classes with the Watcher's Council since I had nothing better to do. I got a degree and everything, including a cookie." I grinned. "A huge one about this big." I held my hands up to show the approximate size, but dropped them when Spike raised a brow at me. "What?"

"You got a sodding piece of paper and a cookie." I shrugged before feeling a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey."

"Hi....?" I looked up at the man holding a beer as he was grinning at me.

"So....what's you're name? You go to school here?"

"The name's Aud, and no. Why are you asking?" I gave a look of confusion.

"Oh, uh, no reason. My name's Luke." He held out a hand to me and I shook it. _'Does he want to be friends or something?'_ I wondered. "Do you wanna dance?" He pointed a thumb over his shoulder towards the dancing people.

"No." I quickly answered.

"Oh, okay. Um, do you want a drink? I can go get you one." Looking right at him with furrowed brows, I couldn't figure out why he was even talking to me. It's not like we had ever met before....

"No thanks. Um, I gotta ask, though- why are you talking to me?" There was a sort of pause and Spike scoffed.

"The poor bugger is trying to flirt with you. You know, charm the lass to get some ass." Spike said.

"Oh, are you two...." He trailed off while looking at me and the vampire.

"No." I shook my head quickly. "And pal, I'm not interested in you're....flirting." Unable to hide it, I sort of cringed at the thought of what he was attempting. "I don't date."

"Oh, I'm not asking for a date." The guy smiled. "Just maybe some fun for a night."

"Ew- no offense-but ew." I leaned back in my chair. "Go look somewhere else for the fun you have in mind." The guy gave me a look while clicking his tongue before walking away.

"My, you didn't have to be hard on the boy. You even told him ' _ew_ ', that does a number in a man's ego." Spike was chuckling.

"Shut up, blood breath. I just think couple-y stuff and the like is all.... _disgusting_."

"Oh, did a man treat you wrong? You kick his ass for it?" Spike smirked as I gave him a look.

"No. I just think it's gross. I mean, do you know how many germs are transferred through a kiss alone? Not to mention the risk of STD's and pregnancy." I shuddered.

Suddenly, there was screaming as the whole building began to shake. Bodies were rushing around to find an exit, and I was busy holding my boobs down from all the shaking. Bottles and glass objects were rattling around and crashing to the floor as picture's fell from the walls.

"Well," Spike smiled while shifting in his seat. "this party's starting to liven up after all." And just as I was about to get up to look for Buffy and the guys, leather straps came from no where and pinned me back to the chair. Looking over with wide eyes, I saw Spike was in the same boat. _'What the Hell is going on here?!'_ I wanted to shout while struggling to get up.

Looking around, I saw that most of the party goers were gone and barely any of them were near, so I sighed with relief and let my tail grow out. Yanking up my hands while ripping the leather straps off, I pulled the strap off my chest and mouth and then kicked my legs out to free them as well.

"Hurry up, unless you like being tied down." I said to Spike while snatching up my jacket from the chair. The vampire glared at me before breaking free himself. Running towards the front doors, I saw Willow, Tara, Anya, and Xander. ' _Oh, thank goodness, they're okay.'_

Outside, we all surrounded the porch and the door closed by itself behind us. Looking at each face, I noticed Buffy wasn't one of them.

"We have to go back in there." Willow said as Spike put a cigarette in his mouth before lighting it up.

"Why?" Anya asked. 'I guess she did end up showing.'

"Because Buffy and Riley are trapped." Xander explained.

"So? She's a Slayer. He's a big soldier boy. What do they need you for?" Anya jerked up her chin while asking.

"Anya, look around. There's ghosts and shaking and people are going all _'Felicity'_ with their hair. We're fresh outta super-people, and somebody's gotta go back in there. Now, who's with me?"

"Really gotta ask?" I raised a brow.

"I am." Spike stood up from leaning on the wall. "I know I'm not the first choice for heroics, and Buffy's tried to kill me more than once." He said while dropping his cigarette and crushing it into the ground. "And I don't fancy a single one of you at all. But...." Spike paused before furrowing his brows. "Actually, that all sounds pretty convincing." He shook his head and walked off. "I wonder if _Asian House_ is open."

"Quitter!" I shouted after him.

"Xander, let's get out of here." Anya looked at Xander.

"You wanna bail? Fine. I'm going back in there, and I'm not coming out till I bring my friend with me." He pointed to the door before glancing at me. "Come on, Aud." I nodded before going to the glass door and opening it. I went in a few steps, cautiously looking around before I glanced back to Xander. I suddenly went flying back and rolled on the pavement. On my back, I looked up at the sky while groaning.

"Okay, that hurt a little." I raised a finger.

"Or....it could be Watcher time." Xander came over and helped me to my feet.

"We'll go to Giles's!" Willow said.

"No-no, wait. He isn't there. He was going to the Espresso Pump." Tara spoke quickly. Right. H-he told us not to come. He needed some grown-up time."

"Oh, it'll be fine." I waved a hand. "Trust me."


	14. Do it my way

At the coffee shop, we walked in while Pops was singing and playing his guitar to _Behind Blue Eyes_. Looking at the others, they seemed shocked, confused, and in disbelief.

"Oh." Anya had her arms crossed.

"Wow." Willow's jaw was hanging open.

"Um, could we go back to the haunted house?" Xander asked. "Because this is creeping me out." I furrowed my brows at them.

"Does he do this a lot?" Tara asked.

"Sure. Every day the Earth rotates backwards and the skies turn orange."

"You guys didn't know he does this?" I asked and they all shook their heads.

" _....as empty as my conscience seems to be._ " Pops sang while finally noticing us standing there. I gave a small wave. " _I have hours, only lonely...._ "

"Now I remember why I used to have such a crush on him." Willow smiled and I raised a brow.

"Well, he is pretty good." Tara nodded.

"His voice is....pleasant." Anya agreed.

"What?" Xander looked around.

"Come on. It is kinda sexy."

"Ew, Wil. Don't wanna hear that about my dad." I cringed. She shrugged while giving an apologetic look.

"I'm fighting total mental breakdown here, Wil. No more fuel on the fire, please." Xander said. Putting my hands into my pockets, I raised my shoulders.

"You know, he used to sing me to sleep all the time. Or whenever he cooked, and when we had nothing else to do, he'd pull out his guitar."

"Not helping, Aud."

~

"When you called to Buffy and Riley, they didn't cry out or respond in any way?" Pops asked as we were all seated around a table. We were in a public library and the table was piled up with books for research.

"No. They're probably dead." Anya said bluntly.

"Unless they're too busy doin' it to answer." Xander waved a hand.

"Doing what?" Pops asked as sat down.

"You know, for a god of acoustic rock, you're....kind of naive."

"I didn't think you meant-" Giles rolled his eyes. "In the midst of all that, do you really think they were keeping it up?" There was a silent pause as we looked at Pops. "Oh, for different phrasing."

"You see, that's the thing." Willow leaned forward a bit. "People all over the party were starting to act....weird....sexually."

"In what way?"

"You know." Willow turned the page in her books. "Ways." _'Yeah, one guy even hit on me.'_ I mentally said.

"Well, it could be some form of, uh, succubi or a satyr's prank. Could even be energy coming from the lab beneath Lowell Fraternity." Pops shifted in his seat.

"It wasn't always a fraternity. Look." Willow showed her book full of newspaper clippings. " _'Between 1949 and 1960,'_ " Willow read. " _'the Lowell Home for Children housed upwards of 40 adolescents:_ _runaways, juvenile delinquents, and emotionally disturbed teenagers from the Sunnydale area.'_ "

"Children? Did any of them, um....die in there?" Tara asked.

"If there were deaths, then....perhaps we're dealing with a fairly standard haunting." Pops sat back down.

"It doesn't say. It's mostly about the old house director, Genevieve Holt. _'Sunnydale children's aid....30 years of community service. Giving disadvantaged kids the loving care they deserve.'_ " Willow read some more.

"When did she die?"

"She didn't." Willow looked up at Pops.

~

"No, no. I don't mind at all. I was up." The old woman smiled while walking us through her home. "Early morning prayer, of course." She nodded while glancing back at us. "And I like talking about my kids." She then waved us to some seats. "I still call them that. My kids." She then sat down.

"I-I suppose you were just like a mother to them. You did everything for them?"

"Oh, yes. I fed them and clothed them, educated them in the was of the Lord. I was given a medal." Genevieve smiled as I sat down next to Pops on the couch.

"Yes, wonderful. Um, congratulations. Um, this'll sound a little strange, but, uh....did you notice any odd disturbances in-in the house?"

"I don't understand." The woman looked confused.

"We-well, um....like furniture moving of its own accord, or-or objects appearing out of nowhere, or-or perhaps you saw someone appear on moment, and then they were gone the next in-inexplicably." Pops waved a hand while furrowing his brows.

"Why, that sounds like crazy talk." The old lady replied.

"Yes, it does, doesn't it? Yes...." He glanced at us. "Um, forgive me for asking this, but, uh, the children in your care, were any of them ever....ill, or did anything ever happen to any of them?"

"Well, some had the flu and such. No one died, if that's what you mean. The engraving on the medal says how good I was with the children."

"Oh, yes." Pops grinned.

"I treated them as I would my own flesh and blood....gave them hugs and praise when they were good and punished them when they were dirty."

"Well, ah, children will be children. They, uh, you know, they do like to play in the, uh, the muck." Pops gave me a look and I gave one back. Genevieve went quiet and had this expression on her face.

"You didn't mean muddy dirty." Anya stated.

"My kids didn't think I knew. But I did."

"Very, uh....perceptive of you."

"Without me, they would have been shut out of the kingdom. Lost to lust." We all looked at her.

"But you....helped them."

"The girls felt the vanity more than the boys. I'd see them preening like Jezebel, doting over their pretty hair." She raised one shoulder.

"So you'd hack it off." Xander said with disbelief on his face.

"I'd remove the temptation to admire themselves." She said as Pops slowly removed his glasses. "They were better for it."

"What about the bathtub? Something happened there." Anya spoke up.

"I preformed baptisms on the most unclean-those who were tainted with impure thought and deed." I clenched my jaw while looking at her, trying my best to keep from growling.

"You held them under?" Pops had this look in his eyes as he stared at her.

"They needed to be reborn." Rising to her feet, she looked down at Pops. "You choose to pass judgement on me?" Then Pops stood up.

"Well, someone ought to! You traumatized and abused these children!" I could hear the anger and disdain in his voice. The woman waved him off while walking away. "Children who-who have no doubt become extremely disturbed adults! You have ruined lives, Mrs. Holt!" We got off the couch as Pops was stepping towards her and pointing. "Furthermore, what you did has now manifested itself as a-a malevolent presence which threatens still more lives." He put his glasses back on. "You have a great deal to answer for!"

"I refuse to listen to this when I can smell the sin on each and every one of you!" She pointed at us. _'I'll show you damn sin!'_ I began to growl deep in my chest.

"Yeah? You smell sin? let me tell you something, lady." Xander pointed at her. "She who smelt it dealt it!" Pops looked at him and he shrugged. "It's like what you said, but faster." After that, we left her home. "So, this totally adds to my _Old People are Crazy_ theorem."

"I don't get it." Anya said. "I mean, those kids were tortured, but they weren't killed. So where are those ghosts coming from?"

"I don't believe there are any ghosts." We all stopped walking and looked at Giles.

"One ran right through me." Anya looked a bit confused.

"Not a ghost. An apparition." He took his glasses off while putting one hand into his pants pocket. "I believe we;re dealing with a-a kind of poltergeist, a whole cluster of them, in fact, born out of intense adolescent emotion and sexual energy."

"Both of which were totally pent-up during Mrs. Holt's reign of repression." Anya crossed her arms.

"So, with Buffy and Riley havin'....you know, acts of nakedness around the clock lately, maybe they set something free.... Like a big bursting poltergasm."

"Yes. And now the poltergeists are drawing more and more energy out of them-feeding on them in fact." Pops furrowed his brows as something dawned on him. "Buffy and Riley are powering this whole thing." He put his glasses back on and we began to walk again.

"Okay, they're the battery in the boo factory. So, what happens when the battery's drained?" Xander asked.

"They die." Pops said grimly.

~

Back at Willow and Buffy's dorm, Willow and Tara were setting up a spell. Xander was digging through Buffy's weapons chest with Anya watching as she leaned against the wall.

"What good are weapons against disembodied spirits, Xander?" Anya asked. "They have no ass to kick."

"She's right. You should just stay outside." Pops said while sitting down with the witches as he opened up a book

"We'll bind the spirits long enough for you to get Riley and Buffy out." Willow told Xander.

"How much time you buying us?"

"Could be tricky. We're calling upon the communal spirit of a certain time and place." Tara explained.

"Let's go." Xander grabbed a machete while handing an axe looking weapon to Anya. I followed them back to the Lowell house and we waited outside on the porch. Xander and I were leaning on the brick walls while Anya was at the door.

"What do you feel?" Xander asked after sighing.

"Upset, afraid of being without you, and a little hungry." Anya replied.

"I meant about the house."

"Oh." She looked back. "Still haunted." I stuck my hands into my pockets as my tail twitched from boredom.

"Wait a second...." I mumbled.

"What?"

"Ah! I forgot I had this on me!" Pulling out a little bag of gummy bears, I smiled. "Oh, here you go, Anya." I looked at her. "This should tide you over until this is all done." Tossing the bag to her, she barely caught it and grinned.

"Thanks." By the time she was done eating the bears, the front door slowly opened. Peeking inside, we were cautious to look around first.

"House is clean." Xander said.

"Let's go." Anya looked at the human male. "You first." He looked back at her, but went forward. We paused while seeing the stair case covered in roots, vines, and leaves.

"We gotta work fast. Never know how long before the munchkins get homesick." Xander went up the stairs followed by Anya.

"Or 'til the human battery conks out."

"Watch your fingers." The man advised before hacking away at the roots and vines with the machete. As we made our way upstairs, it began to be much darker as the lights were covered by plant-life. "You okay?" Xander asked the ex-demon. She answered by chopping away a vine.

"When we reached the room, the second Xander touched the doorknob, and ominous wind blew. He was thrown back and drug down the hall into a room.

"Xander!" Anya and I shouted. "Xander!" Anya ran to open the door, but was tossed away. She hit the second floor rails, crashed through them, and landed on the couch below.

"Anya!" I looked over the edge. For a second, she was still, but she eventually got on her feet and went to the stairs to climb back up. The wind blew harshly and there was ghostly cries.

"Shut up, repressed crybabies!" When Anya touched the stair rails, a vine shot out and pierced her hand. She flinched and yanked it out before looking pissed off. _'Damn....'_ Turning around, I went to the door Xander had disappeared behind.

Tightly grabbing the knob, I banged my shoulder against it to bust it open, but it didn't budge. There was a thud every time I made contact, and ghostly laughs followed. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Anya walking towards me. _'I gotta get this thing open!'_ Stepping back, I let my claws and fangs grow out. Growling, I rolled my shoulders as I felt my ears point out. With a roar, I ran into the door and broke it off of its hinges as it exploded into various pieces from the force.

"Anya walked past me and towards the tub Xander was drowning in. She grabbed him and pulled him to the surface. He was gasping for air and coughing up the water.

"It's okay." She reassured him. Dragging him out of the bathroom, he trailed water behind him. Ghost-like moaning filled our ears as we went towards the room Buffy and Riley were in.

"Come on. We've just gotta-"

"Xander!" Anya cried as a vine shot down and hit Xander in the face. Helping him back up, I took the lead. "We can make it through this." She said as I began to rip through the roots and vines with my claws. Whenever something shot down, I cut it into pieces. "Aud, break down the door like you did the other one." Nodding, I growled while barreling at the door.

"Aud! Don't you knock?" I looked up to see Buffy and Riley naked under the sheets. They looked completely fine as I was heavily like an animal.

"Really?" I asked while furrowing my brows. "Didn't notice anything?!" Tossing my hands up, I stepped back over the broken door and went past Xander and Anya who were looking at each other.


	15. Keep your eyes on me

"Zippo." Buffy stated and she sat on the table as she continued to speak.. "Patrol's been totally uneventful. My kill count's way down." The entire Scooby gang was present, and it looked like Tara was becoming a new member as well.

"She means there be less bad-guy activity." Willow explained to Tara.

"We know what that often indicates." Pops said from the kitchen as he ate.

"Buffy doesn't make her quota....bad slayer."

"Well, I wish it were that innocuous. But with Adam around, I-I feel he's involved somehow."

"When things get slow, it's usually because-"

"Apocalypse or oncoming major doom." I crossed my arms while leaning on the bar next to Tara. The woman nodded at me in understanding.

"Except, the weird thing is," Riley raised his hand in a gesture as he spoke. "we've been busy at the Initiative. Our squads are pulling a lot more captures. We've got demons coming out of our ears."

"That's a metaphor." Willow told Tara so she wouldn't take it literally.

"I got it, thanks." The other woman smiled.

"I'm over helping, aren't I?"

"So, the activities have shifted, but not stopped." Pops walked in with a bowl of pretzels. I grabbed a hand full as he offered some to us.

"To an extremely bored person, maybe." Anya looked at Giles. "Well, that was a thrilling hour." She stood up from Xander's lap, and then everyone began to stand up.

"You know, I don't really appreciate your snide remarks, Anya." Pops put his hands on his hips while standing in front of the ex-demon. "Now, I have a great deal of experience in these matters, and if I say there is a matter of some import brewing, I-I...." He cut off as everyone turned to look at the man standing in the doorway.

"Hey." He simply said with his hands in his jacket pockets.

Baring my fangs, I growled deeply at the stranger while standing up off the bar. Pops raised a hand at me, silently telling me to stop. Looking at his face, and everyone else's expressions- besides Riley and Tara's-they knew the guy. So, I stopped growling and just crossed my arms while staring at him with a studying gaze as he was doing the same to me.

"Wh-when did you get back?" Willow asked.

"Pretty much now." He nodded while giving her his attention. He was short with short red hair, and he had the scent of a werewolf.

"Oz, man." Xander stepped out to him. "Hate to sound grandma, but....you don't call. You don't write." He held out a hand.

"Yeah. Sorry." The man said while shaking Xander's hand.

"So, are you here here, or are you just passing through?" Buffy asked.

"Well, um, let's not bombard the poor chap with questions right off." Pops took off his glasses. "Uh, can I get you something? Tea, perhaps?" Pops walked towards the kitchen.

"I'll pass. Thanks." He said and Pops stopped. "Look," He approached Willow, and Anya stepped away. "I'm going to Devon's to see if he's got a place I can crash, but I was hoping that we could talk. Later. Tonight."

"I-I guess so." Willow replied. _'Man, it's so quiet.'_

"I'll come by your place?" He asked.

"Okay."

"It's great to see you guys again. Really." He said while backing up before leaving.

"Everyone's uncomfortable now." Anya stated.

"You okay?" Buffy asked Willow while gently touching her arm.

"I-"

"I just-um, I realized I'm-I'm late for study group." Tara got up from the bar stool.

"Tara, wait."

"No, no, i-it's okay. You should-you should be with your friends, and....and I-I should go." Then, Tara left.

"But-" Willow looked hurt and upset as the door closed behind Tara.

That night, I went patrolling with Buffy and Riley, but I went off on my own since I didn't want to witness any couple-y stuff between them. With a stake in on hand, I walked through the cemetery in the opposite direction they went. Letting my tail grow out, I unzipped my AC/DC jacket and sighed.

"Please let me get someone to fight tonight." I mumbled.

"Raaaah!" A body jumped out and all I saw was the face of a vampire. Instinctively, I reared back my fist and swung. "Ow! Aw!" The bloodsucker stumbled back while covering his face and I raised the stake. "Bloody Hell!" Pausing, I furrowed my brows as I noticed the peroxide blonde hair.

"Spike?" He paused before looking at me through his fingers Spike rolled his eyes.

"Ugh, of course it's bloody you." He dropped his hands to show a bloody nose. "Were you about to stake me?!" Spike pointed at the sharpened, wooden stake in my hand.

"Well, you did just jump out at me with your face all bumpy." I said while lowering my hand and feeling my shoulders relax.

"I thought you were a human. I _was_ gonna...." He trailed off before smirking. "No, I _am_ gonna." Wiping he blood off of his face with a fist, Spike squared his shoulders while putting his hands on his hips. "Give me your money."

"Are you attempting to mug me?" I crossed my arms while making a face at the taller male. "And why would someone just be walking around a cemetery at night?"

"I'm not attempting, and maybe you could have been someone givin' a late night visit to granny." He shrugged. "Now, pass over the green."

"Fuck off, Spike. Like I'd give you my money." Walking past him, he grabbed my arm to stop me, so I punched him again. This time, he punched back.

"Aah!" He gave a pained expression while holding his head.

"Huh, guess I'm human enough for your chip to still work." I smirked while playing with the stake in my hand.

"Yeah, apparently." He sighed before grinning and holding up his hand. "But I got your wallet."

"Spike, I don't own a wallet." I snickered. "You dumbass, that's just some leather I chew on when I'm bored." He paused before making a disgusted face.

"Ugh!" Spike tossed the leather before shaking off his hand. "You know, you're sodding _nasty_."

"I'm nasty? Who's the one who drinks blood? Who's the one who had people put stuff up inside them?" I pointed at him.

"Hey! It's not like I had a choice! Oh, but who's the one who eats sodding Goldfish in their applesauce? Huh? Or chews on pieces of leather?" He raised his brows while pointing in the direction he had tossed the mentioned object.

"Well, I'm a biter. I chew on stuff, and everyone prefers I chew on bits of leather rather than their stuff. Including their necks." I put my hands onto my hips.

"You know what? When I get this bleeding chip out, that's exactly what I'm gonna do-bite your sodding neck off!" He put a finger to the side of his head. "I've never tasted half-breed blood before." Spike smirked.

"Oh, go stuff yourself. Like you could take me."

"I probably could, you know. But I can't find out with this chip!" He stepped closer while looking down at me.

"Whatever. I gotta patrol." I rolled my eyes while turning around, but footsteps followed me and I sighed.

"Oh, yeah, now that you know I can't hurt you, you can turn your back on me!" Spike caught up to me. "I may be restrained, but I'm still evil." The man stood in front of me to block my way.  
( [www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGyMhtMe...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGyMhtMeG5o) )  
_'Nobody loves you when your skin is so pale,'_

"Stop acting like a child and move, Spike."

_'And your teeth are getting sharper  
Than your black finger nails.  
Nobody needs you when your eyes turn white,  
And the light of day can keep you up all night.'_

"Says the one acting like a dog." Then his face scrunched up as he looked around. "What is that bloody noise? Is that....music?"

_'Because_  
V is for Vampire,  
B is for Blood,  
So give me your money,  
I'll give you my love.'

"Oh!" I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. The rock song was still playing until I flipped it open and hit the answer button. "Hello?" I held the phone to my ear while placing the hand with the stake on my hip.

"Is that your sodding ringtone?" Spike laughed. Flipping him off, I listened to hear who was on the other end.

"Hey, Buffy." Spike crossed his arms while putting one of his hands on his shoulder as he made a face. "Sure, I'll just deal with this pest and I'll be good." Buffy was asking me to take over patrolling tonight so she could pretty much....have alone time with Riley. She thanked me before hanging up and I put my phone back into my pocket.

"Nice tone for Buffy. A bit strange, if you ask me." Spike shifted on his feet.

"Well, I wasn't asking. And that's the ringtone I have for anyone calling-not just Buffy, you know, since she doesn't even have a phone. Now, move it before I hit you again." Spike just stood there for a few seconds, smirking as I glared at him. He stepped to the side, but would not leave me alone the whole time I was patrolling. Spike kept popping off with stupid shit and wouldn't stop teasing me even as I was fighting demons and newly risen vampires.

~

"Tara said they took him right before she found me." Willow was pacing as she explained what had happened to Oz. We were sitting around in Pops's living room as we listened to her.

"So that's good, right?" Anya asked. "I mean, they probably haven't had time to eviscerate him yet."

"An, you can help by making this a quiet time." Xander said while touching Anya's knee.

"Once again we're faced with a fairly daunting prospect of having to infiltrate the Initiative." Pops looked around.

"It'd be great if we knew someone datin' a man on the inside, someone with connections." Buffy walked up and Xander raised his while looking at her. "Oh, wait!"

"He's still not answering his pages. I left him another message."

"So what do we do?" Willow asked.

"Well, we need to move fast, so we make a plan without Riley....and hope he calls." Buffy looked at each of us. After a while, the Slayer began to act concerned. "Riley usually returns my phone calls by now."

"We can't wait much longer." Xander said while walking towards Buffy.

"I know." Buffy glanced around and we all stood while looking at her. "Okay. Xander, you and I are going to go in. We've done it before."

"I'm going with you." Willow spoke up.

"No. Look, it's too dangerous, Wil. Besides, I need you to help Giles hack into the city's electrical grid. We've got to try to power down the Initiative." Buffy told the redhead.

"Giles can do it without me. I can give him all the instructions. I can show him exactly what to do."

"Of course." Pops put a hand into his pocket.

"I can't just sit here." Willow said.

"Okay." Buffy nodded. "Okay, you can back us up. Aud, I actually need you to be on the outside. If we don't come out, you contact Giles and come in with guns blazing." I nodded. "Now, the only way I know into the Initiative is through the elevator in the Lowell House, but my clearance is long gone."

"So we grab a guy, make him take us." Xander put his hands into his pockets.

"Or you could just use the back way." We all looked towards the door. "Hell of a lot less bother."

"Does no one ever knock?" I mumbled.

"How did you get in?" Pops asked.

"The door was unlocked. You might want to watch that, Rupert." Spike said. "Someone dangerous could get in." He smirked.

"Or someone formerly dangerous and currently annoying." Buffy crossed her arms.

"Now, now." He smiled while walking forward. "None of that, or I won't help you get Red's mongrel back." The Slayer glanced back at Willow. "Bad news travels fast with us demons. We all like a good laugh." Spike chuckled.

"Short of cash, Spike?" Pops asked.

"I happen to be seeking monetary gratification, yeah." He grinned while raising his eyebrows. "But I also get a kick out of jackin' up those army ginks myself." Pops pulled off his glasses while Spike continued to talk. "I know how to find the big guy who can take you to Oz."

"Uh-huh. So what's the going rate on a wild-goose chase, Spike?" Buffy tilted her head with a plastered smile.

"Fine, if you're not interested. But I was stuck in that hole, remember?" The vampire glared. "And I've heard things from other guys who've gotten out. I can get you in. No alarms, no cameras...." He said while shaking his head. "No waiting."

"I've mentioned how much I'm going to kill you if this is a scam, right?" Buffy asked. Her and Willow were dressed as doctors while Xander, Spike, and I were dressed as Initiative soldiers.

"Look, would I wear this if I wasn't on the up and up?" Spike asked while pointing at himself.

"You do sort of look like an evil olive." Willow said honestly and I snickered.

"Guys, check it out." Xander caught our attention, making us look ahead to see a mostly hidden entryway that was behind some trees with ivy and plants covering it. Spike walked up to it and pulled open the metal doors. They creaked, but opened easily.

"For a nasty town like Sunnydale, nobody seems to mind their locks." Spike said over his shoulder.

"You first." Buffy said while walking towards the door. Xander and Willow followed. Watching them disappear into the darkness, I raised the stolen Blaster and began to pace back and forth in front of the door as if I was on guard duty. That way, if anyone from the Initiative saw me, they wouldn't think too much about what I was doing out here.

Luckily, it was an in and out operation, but instead of coming back out the way they had came, Buffy and the gang used the elevator in the Lowell House. They simply gave me a call to alert me it was okay to leave my spot, so I carefully made my way out of the woods.


	16. Your reaction

"~ _If I leave here tomorrow,~_ " Pops was singing as he played his guitar in the living room. "~ _would you still remember me? Well, I must be traveling on now,~_ " I listened while making myself a bunch of PB&J sandwiches. "~ _there's too many places I've got to see. And if I stay here with you, girl....things just couldn't be the same. 'Cause I'm as free as a bird now_ -ah!" Pops screamed and I quickly looked up to see Spike standing with his back to me as he looked at Pops.

"You know, for someone who's got _'Watcher'_ on his resume, you might want to cast an aye to the front door every now and again." Spike said before heading to the kitchen. Pops set down his guitar while following him. The vampire opened up the fridge and bent down to look inside.

"What do you want?" Pops asked and I began to clean up. Rinsing off the knives in the sink, I turned back to put up the peanut butter.

"Ah! I knew I left one." Spike held up a bag of blood. "Buffy around?" He asked while going to the microwave.

"Why?" Pops and I asked at the same time. Going around the vampire pushing buttons, I put the jelly back into the fridge.

"I need to speak to the lady of the house. Hey, be a pet and give her a message for me, would you? Tell her I just might have something she just might want."

"And what might that something be?" Giles put his fists onto his hips while giving Spike a look.

"Information." He paused. "Highly classified." Pops turned away while putting his glasses on. Not cheap, word-on-the-street prattle, either. I'm talking about the good stuff now."

"Thrill me." Pops crossed his arms as he sat on a bar stool. Spike scoffed and I picked up one of my sandwiches before taking a bite.

"It's nothing I know. What, you think I'd come running over saying, _'I've got a secret, beat me till I talk'_?" He raised his brows while looking at Pops.

"Maybe- you **are** pretty stupid." I said while leaning against the counter.

"Stuff it, low rider." Spike briefly glanced down at me before looking back to Pops. "There's files in the Initiative. I'm pretty sure I know where." The microwave beeped.

"Files?" Giles leaned forward, his attention being gained.

"Yeah, secrets." He bit open the blood bag before grabbing a mug. "Mission statements, design schematics. All of Maggie Walsh's dirty laundry," Spike said as he turned while pouring the blood into the mug. "which I guess would include lots of tidbits about-"

"Adam." Pops took his glasses off while making a serious face. I just grabbed another sandwich and watched as the vampire tossed the empty blood bag into the sink.

"Well, yeah. Say someone was to risk his life and limb-well, limb, anyway-to obtain said files, might be worth a little something." He sipped from the mug as Pops gave him a skeptical look.

"At this point, a cynical person might think that you are offering just what we need when we need it most."

"That person'd be right, Rupert." Spike smirked. "Supply and demand. And it won't be cheap this time."

"What do you want?" Giles asked.

"Please say a black-eye and broken nose." I popped off before grabbing another one of my PB&J's. Spike gave me a 'go-to-Hell' look before turning around to set down the mug.

"Hmm, a year's supply of blood, guaranteed protection, merry bushels of cash," He then turned back and leaned on the counter while crossing his arms. "and most important, a guarantee that I'm not to be in any way slain."

"Done." Giles put his glasses back on.

"What?" I looked at Pops.

"With a smile and nod from you?" The vampire raised his brows while looking at the human. "Sorry, not close to good enough. This deal's with the Slayer."

"I'll tell her."

"Oh, you'll tell her? Great comfort that!" Spike stood up and stepped towards the bar. "What makes you think she'll listen to you?"

"Because."

"Very convincing." The vampire said with sarcasm.

"I'm her Watcher."

"I think you're neglecting the past tense there, Rupert. Besides," Spike shrugged. "she barely listened to you when you _were_ in charge. I've seen the way she treats you."

"Oh, yes? How's that?" Pops asked while picking up a green bottle and pulling the cap off.

"Very much like a retired librarian." He watched Giles pour himself a drink. "Look, I've got what she wants as long as she has what I want." Spike walked out of the kitchen. "Spread the word. She knows where to find me." He added as he left.

"I'll think about it." Pops mumbled.

~

"I think I lost the buggers." Spike rushed in while panting and closed the door. He was dressed in Initiative garb, and Willow rose to her feet.

"Any luck with the disk?" She asked.

"Oh. Took what they had." He reached into the vest pockets while digging out the disks. "Should be something useful on one of them." The vampire handed them over to the witch.

"Hope so." Willow sat back down in front of her laptop.

"What are we looking for?" Tara asked while leaning over.

"Anything about Adam." Willow replied.

"Any problems about getting in and out?" Pops was pouring himself another drink.

"No. A couple of 'em made me on the way out, but I took care of them." Spike waved a hand while walking towards Willow to watch the laptop screen. I kept a close eye on him and the witches to make sure no funny business would happen.

"Gave them a good running-away-from, did you?" Giles asked while taking off his glasses.

"Well, yeah. When do I get paid?"

"When Willow tells me you've brought us something useful." As I was looking at the back of Willow's head as she was typing away, I saw Tara playing with her hair. _'Please let that just be a friendly gesture, if another couple forms in the Scooby gang, I'll have to watch out for that stuff 24/7.'_

"I could've gone straight to the Slayer, you know." Spike said while Standing between Pops and I as he placed a hand on the bar. "I cut you in, let you pretend you're actually in charge. Now you've got to wait for Red's permission to finish the deal?"

"That's enough, blood breath." I pulled Spike away from Pops a little by the back of his vest.

"As soon as we see what's on the disks." Giles glared back at the vampire.

"It looks like gibberish." Tara said.

"Gibberish?" Spike turned and stepped towards the table.

"They're encrypted." Willow explained.

"Oh, wonderful." Pops stood up while putting his glasses back on. He walked away, most likely to go use the bathroom after all he had drank.

"Uh, w-" Spike sighed. "Can you fix 'em?" he leaned down while placing a hand onto the table.

"Crack a government encryption code on my laptop? Easy as really difficult pie." Willow went back to typing away. Spike scoffed.

"You're not exactly the whiz these days, either. God, I'm never gonna get paid." I rolled my eyes at the undead man and crossed my arms.

"I am a whiz."

"She is a whiz." Tara agreed with a nod.

"If ever a whiz there was." Willow added. "I-I just need some time."

"No. I just heard you weren't...." Spike paused. "Your mates said you weren't playing with computer so much. Into the new thing."

"What new thing?"

"You know, you two....the whole Wicca thing."

"They-they were talking about that?" Willow turned in her seat to face Spike.

"Could we get back to business here? I've got a deal at stake." Spike stood up all the way.

"What did they say?"

"Talking about, you know, it's a phase." He sighed while putting a hand on the back of Willow's chair. "You'll get over it." He he put his other hand on his hip. _'What?'_ I furrowed my brows. _'That doesn't_ _sound like the guys....'_

"What?" Willow had this look on her face. "Who said that? Was it Buffy?" She turned to Tara. "'Cause you know she what she means by that."

"No, she was defending you." Spike said as he backed away and pointed at Willow. "'Cause Xander said you were being trendy."

"Trendy?"

"I don't know what they were going on about. Person wants to be a witch, that's their business."

"I knew Buffy was freaked." Willow's voice went quiet and I gave a skeptical look towards the vampire.

"You should talk to her, 'cause I'm sure-"

"Pressing business, ladies." Spike interrupted. "Don't want to get sidetracked." He tapped the laptop's screen. "Still got your monsters to fight."

"Okay, Spike." I leaned off of the bar. "You can go now. We'll let you know if Willow finds anything." Pushing him towards the door, he planted his feet firmly on the ground.

"How do I know you're telling the sodding truth? You could find something and just not tell me so you wouldn't have to pay up." Opening the door by reaching around the vampire, I sighed.

"Trust me, you'll know if we find something on Adam. Bad news travels fast with demons, remember?" Then, I pushed him out.

~

"It's still encrypted." Willow said hours later. Buffy, Xander, and Anya had joined us a while back.

"Willow's working really hard on it." Tara said.

"Okay. Well, how long before you un-crypt it?" Buffy asked.

"Hours? Days maybe." Willow furrowed her brows. "Anyone suggesting months would not be accused of crazy talk."

"Whatever happened to Latin?" Pops asked while pouring himself another drink. _'Wait, how many of those has he had now?'_ I furrowed my brows while trying to remember. "At least when that made no sense, the church approved."

"I can't just wait around, Wil. That disk is no good to me unless you crack it soon." Buffy said before walking away.

"Hey! We worked really hard getting that." Anya said as Buffy walked past her. "Xander delivered clothing."

"Church approved." Pops smiled while patting the top back onto the bottle.

"Sorry, you guys. We're on a clock here." Buffy looked at each of us. "Okay, Adam was at that cave, so maybe he was there for a reason. I-I could go back, scope it out, track him if I have to."

"Right, and maybe you'll get lucky and he'll still be there, a-and he can rip your arms off for you." Willow said while rising from her seat. "Buffy, you can't go back alone."

"You never train with me anymore. He's going to kick your ass."

"Giles." Buffy crossed her arms while giving him a look.

"Sorry. Was it a bit honest? Terribly sorry." He chuckled while smiling.

"So she doesn't go alone. Giles, weapons all around." Xander stood up while looking at Pops.

"You're not going, Xander." Buffy said and the man turned to her. "You'd get hurt."

"Oh....okay, you, Willow, and Aud go do the superpower thing. I'll stay behind and putt around the Batcave with crusty old Alfred here."

"Ah, no, I am no Alfred, sir. No, you forget, Alfred had a job."

"Willow isn't going, either. I'm doing it alone." I was about to say something, but Willow spoke first.

"Oh, great. And then when you have your new no arms, we can all say, _'gee, it's a good thing we weren't there getting in the way of that.'_ " Willow said while walking towards Buffy as Tara went to the bathroom.

"Right. Maybe we can help in other ways. Want some fightin' pants, Buff? I can get ya some new fightin' pants." Xander said while waving his hand at her.

"You guys, this isn't helping." Buffy lowered her arms at her sides.

"Oh, wow, we're already getting in the way." Willow said with mock excitement. "We're pretty good at this, Xander, huh?"

"Right, I'm so good at it, you might have to ship me off to the army to get me out of the way!" Xander put his hands on his chest while looking at both Willow and Buffy.

"The army?" Buffy asked.

"You didn't know I knew about that, did ya?" Xander said and I furrowed my brows with confusion. _'Army? What?'_ "You two talking about me behind my back."

"Us talking about _you_? How about you telling Riley every last detail about my life with Angel?" Buffy stepped towards Xander.

"Besides, when is there any 'us two'? You two were the two who are the two. I'm the other one." Willow looked at them.

"Uh-huh, but maybe that all changes when I'm doing sit-ups over at Fort Dix." I heard Pops cough into his drink.

"Fort Dix?" He said with a laughing tone before busting out with a wheezy giggle. _'Oh my, cheeses! Is he....?'_ I stood up all the way, a smirk pulling at my lips.

"Are you drunk?" Buffy asked.

"Yes. Quite a bit, actually." Pops was grinning.

"Well, stop it. This is stupid."

"Don't stop it, I gotta find my camera." I pointed at Pops. It had been a while since I had seen him drunk, and he was always hilarious when he was. The serious Rupert Giles turned into a goofy child whenever he had too much to drink.

"Stupid. So you finally had the guts to say it to my face." Xander said while I went to my bags and dug around for my camera.

"I didn't say you were stupid. So stop being an idiot and let me fix this. Okay, I need you. I need both of you all the time, just....not now. Adam is very dangerous."

"Wait. How do you need me, really?" Willow asked.

"Aw, man." My shoulders slumped as I mumbled. "I must have forgotten it back in England." Pouting, I looked at Pops. _'I won't be able to record it this time....but it's always so funny....'_ I thought.

"You're good with computer stuff. Usually. An-and there's the witch stuff." Buffy said as I rose back up to stand.

"Witch stuff? What exactly do you mean by witch stuff?"

"You guys, what is happening? This is crazy."

"Oh, no, it's not." Pops turned around. "It's all finally making perfect sense, and I'm not gonna miss a moment of it." Pops tried to sit down, but missed the chair by a long shot and fell down. Snickering, I finally noticed Anya was gone. _'She probably went to go hide out in the bathroom with Tara.'_ The three youngest ones continued bickering as I helped Pops up off the floor.

"And if I did join the army, I'd be great. You know why? Because they might give me a job that couldn't be done by any well-trained border collie." Xander walked to stand behind the couch as he tossed his hands up at his sides. Pops headed towards the stairs while taking off his long-sleeved shirt.

"That's it. I'm going to bed." Giles slurred as he struggled to get the shirt off while stumbling up the stairs.

"No! Stay and provide humor!" I dramatically asked while reaching a hand out towards Pops.

"No, you'd be wonderful in the army. Hey, do you think the umbilical cord between you and Anya could stretch that far?" Willow looked at Xander.

"I knew it. I knew you hated her!" Xander pointed at Willow just as Pops tossed his shirt off the second floor and it landed on the male human's head.

"Look, I'm not the one being judgmental here. I'll leave that territory to you and Buffy." Willow retorted as Xander yanked the shirt off his head and threw it down.

"Judgmental? If I was any more open-minded about the choices you two make, my whole brain would fall out." Buffy pointed.

"Oh, and superior. Don't forget that." Xander turned on Buffy. "Just because you're better than us doesn't mean you can be all superior." He walked over while crossing his arms before leaning against a book cabinet.

"You guys, stop this. What happened to you today?" Buffy asked them both, and I went to pick up Pops's shirt off the floor.

"It's not today. Buffy, things have been wrong for awhile. Don't you see that?"

"What do you mean wrong?"

"Well, they certainly haven't been right since Tara. We have to face it-you can't handle Tara being my girlfriend."

"I knew it." I placed a fist into my hand.

"No! It was bad before that. Since you two went off to college and forgot about me." Xander was standing back up as he walked mid-way between Buffy and Willow. "Just left me in the basement to-Tara's your girlfriend?" Xander's voice went quieter.

"Bloody Hell!" Pops slurred from upstairs.

"Enough!" Buffy said. "All I know is you wanna help, right? Be part of the team?"

"I don't know anymore." Willow scratched her brow while looking away.

"Feeling not wanted." Xander shook his head while looking around.

"No! No, you said you wanted to go. So let's go, all of us. We'll walk into that cave with you two attacking me and the funny drunk drooling on my shoe." Buffy waved a hand towards upstairs. Crossing my arms, I leaned against the table behind me. "Hey! Hey, maybe that's the secret way to killing Adam!"

"Buffy." I said. Yeah, it was their spat, but it would be better if she calmed down at least a smidge.

"Is that it? Is that how you can help?" They went quiet while avoiding eye-contact. "You're not answering me! How can you possibly help?" There was a silent pause as they briefly looked at each other. "So...." Buffy said more calmly. "I guess I'm starting to understand why there's no ancient prophecy about a chosen one and her friends."

"Buffy, that's a bit too far." I looked at her and she held up her hand as if to stop me.

"No." She simply said before sending a look at Willow and Xander who were now standing side-by-side. "If I need help, I'll go to someone I can count on." Buffy then stormed out of the house, leaving it quiet as Willow and Xander gained this expression and far-off looks in their eyes.


	17. To my action

Some time in the afternoon, Pops and I had gone to Buffy and Willow's campus. Walking outside, we soon met up with Xander, Willow, and Buffy. The air between them was a bit on the awkward side as they looked at each other, and Buffy was the first to speak

"Where's Anya?" She asked when she saw Xander was alone.

"Oddly, Anya decided not to join us despite the fun we had at our last meeting." Xander replied with his arms crossed as he spoke with sarcasm.

"And I don't think Tara felt welcome." Willow spoke with a quiet voice.

"Why? Because of the things we said?" Buffy was shifting on her feet as Willow nodded. "Wil, who told you that we were talking behind your back, specifically?"

"Well, I...." She trailed off while furrowing her brows.

"Spike." Crossing my arms, I shook my head slowly. _'That son of a bitch.'_ I thought while realizing what Buffy was getting at.

"And who told you that we thought you'd be better off joining the army?" Buffy looked at Xander.

"That's not...." He looked around. "exactly what he said." Xander dropped his arms and put his hands onto his hips.

"Well, uh, S-Spike can be very convincing when-when-when, uh...." Pops sounded like a broken record. "I'm very stupid."

"He played us. He wanted us to fight to split us up." Buffy glanced at each of us. "That's where it came from, the stuff we said the other night."

"Of course. Well, piffle. Let's move on." Pops put a hand on his hip while waving his coffee to the side.

"I'm moving." Xander raised his hands.

"Me, too." Willow nodded.

"Good." Buffy smiled. "Great." There was a silent pause with a bit of awkwardness.

"So, why do you think Spike made with the head games?" Willow asked.

"He _is_ evil." I shrugged while putting my hands into my pockets.

"He's all dressed up with no one to bite." Xander nodded at me. "He's got to get his yayas somehow." He looked around.

"I think it was more than that." Buffy said. "I think it was Adam."

"Spike's working for Adam?!" Xander swung his arms out. "After all we've done-nah, I can't even act surprised."

"That son of cracker thief!" I growled while crossing my arms and frowning.

"You're still on that?" Xander raised a hand. "Remind me never to mess with Aud's food." He glanced at everyone.

"I just went to Adam's lair, and he was gone, but Spike just happened to be there. And he made this big noise about getting information off those encrypted disks."

"Oh, I decrypted 'em." We all looked at Willow. "Well, they decrypted themselves, but I almost had it."

"What did they say?" Pops asked.

"Bunch of stuff we already knew about 314, but it also said there's some final phase where Adam manufactures a bunch of creepy cyber-demonoids like him." Willow answered as Giles took his glasses off. "There's a special lab in the Initiative, but it didn't say where."

"Adam fed Spike those disks. It has to be. He wanted me to know about his evil-guy assembly line." Buffy shifted on her feet again. "This lab, it's in the Initiative?"

"Hidden somewhere." Willow nodded. Buffy put her hands onto her hips and bowed her head.

"Give the demon his due. He thought this on out."

"What do you mean?" Willow asked as she began to fiddle with her backpack strap.

"You know how overcrowded the containment cells have been at the Initiative? Those demons were just too easy to catch. I-it's like they wanted in that place."

"The Trojan Horse." Pops put his glasses back on.

"Adam's gonna make sure the demons attack the Initiative from the inside.

"Demons versus soldiers. Massacre, massacre." Xander moved his hands as he spoke. Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I was trying to think of a way we could fix this problem with the least amount of casualties to none on our side.

"And Adam has a neat pile of body parts to start assembling his army." Willow shook her head. "Diabolical yet....gross." She cringed.

"Does anybody else miss the mayor-" Xander raised his hand as if he was in a classroom. " _'I just wanna be a big snake'_?"

"I've got to shut him down, Giles." Buffy turned to pops. "His final phase is about to start."

"We need to warn the Initiative."

"They're not gonna listen to me."

"Riley?" Willow suggested.

"He's a deserter. He got some bad news, anyway, and kinda took off."

"Okay, I'm confused again." Xander put his hands together. "Adam has this evil plan."

"If he hasn't already done it." I piped in. He gave a short nod before pointing at Buffy.

"Why is he so anxious for you to know about it?"

"He wants me there." Buffy said. "Probably figures I'll even the kill ratio."

"He's not worried you might kill, oh, say, him?" Xander raised his brows while talking and moving his hands.

"No, he's really not." Buffy shook her head.

"Wanna make him?" I questioned while having a deadpanned expression with a mischievous glint in my eye.

~

"There's certainly no lack of supplies." Pops scratched his head as he had all his weapons out on the coffee table. Willow was looking in a spell book on the couch while Buffy sat on the floor carving a stake. "Only wish I knew which ones would kill Adam." Pops sat on the arm of the couch.

"According to Riley, his power source is a uranium core embedded somewhere inside his chest-probably near the spine?"

"Great. So we just ask him to lie down quietly while we do some exploratory surgery." Xander popped off while standing behind the couch.

"Wh-what about magic? Some kind of, I don't know, uranium-extracting spell?" Willow offered, but the looks she got made her furrow her brows and make a face. "I know. I'm reaching."

"Perhaps a paralyzing spell." Pops stood up before going to a book case. "Only," He pulled a book from the top. "I can't perform the incantation of this." Pops began to flip through the pages.

"Right. Don't you have to speak it in Sumerian or something?" Willow asked.

"I do speak Sumerian. It's not that." Pops glanced up from the book. "Only, uh, an experienced witch can incant it, and you'd have to be within striking distance of the subject." Pops sat back down.

"See what you get for taking French instead of Sumerian?" Xander walked towards Buffy.

"What was I thinking?"

"So, no problem." The young, human male waved his hands. "All we need is combo Buffy- her with Slayer strength, Giles's multilingual know-how, and Willow's witchy power." We looked up at him. _'Hey, that's actually not a bad idea....'_ "I know. I'm just full of helpful suggestions." He said sarcastically as I went to the bookcase to find another spell book.

"As a matter of fact, you are." Pops told him as I handed him the book.

~

Walking into the Lowell House, Xander and Pops were carrying duffel bags of supplies and weapons. Buffy opened the front door and we all filed in.

"Nervous?" Willow asked.

"No way." Xander replied. "I'm full of that good old Kamikaze spirit." After closing the door, Buffy led the way into the building.

"Xander, just because this is never gonna work, there is no need to be negative." Pops told the younger man. With the back of my hand, I popped Giles's shoulder and gave him a look. "Ow! What?"

"The Enjoining spell isn't powerful enough to defeat Adam?" Willow asked.

"It's very powerful. It's also extraordinarily dangerous." Pops said as we went through a pair of pale blue doors.

"Game faces, guys. We're going in." Buffy glanced back at us. Letting my teeth, tail, and claws grow out, I put my 'game face' on. The Slayer turned around and kicked the glass mirror to reveal the elevator shaft behind it.

Spelunking down, I landed on top of the elevator to see Willow, Buffy, and Xander all doing a group hug. Unhooking myself from the rope, I walked over with a concerned look on my face.

"Are we gonna die?" I asked.

"No, apparently they missed me." Xander was grinning as he was the middle of the hug. When Pops got down here, we went to work on prying open the elevator doors. Xander used tools to part the doors wide enough for me to slip my fingers in before I began to push to the side.

"Okay, we stick together, and everything should be fine. Everybody ready? Let's-" Buffy asked as I forced the doors open. I heard movement in front of me and I looked up to see a bunch of Initiative soldiers pointing Blasters at us. "do this." She finished. Before they noticed, I hid my demonic traits so I wouldn't get tossed into a holding cell.

They quickly grabbed us up and led us through the Initiative. The walls were a sterile white while all the soldiers were dressed in green. They forced us along with them until they brought us to what looked like the main office.

"Colonel-"

"Shut up." The man cut off Buffy as he was going through the bags we had brought with us. "You've got some nerve, lady."

"You have to listen to us." Buffy continued.

"You think you and your friends can just keep waltzing into a government installation brandishing weapons like-" He pulled a hollowed out gourd covered in markings from the tan bag. "Like...."

"It's a gourd." Willow told him.

"Magic gourd." Pops specified while putting his hands into his pants pockets. The colonel looked at us with a weird expression on his face.

"What kind of freaks are you people?" He put down the gourd. _'The half-demon kind....'_ I mentally retorted.

"Adam is here, colonel." Buffy crossed her arms. "In the Initiative."

"Nice try." He walked around the table.

"Those overcrowded containment cells of yours- courtesy of Adam. He's pulling a Trojan Horse on you. He's just waiting f-"

"Every inch of this installation is under constant 24-hour surveillance."

"Including the secret lab?" Willow asked.

"Including the secret lab!" He put his hands on his hips. Then, shifting on his feet, he looked at Buffy. "What secret lab?"

"The one Adam's been using." Buffy answered. "The one built for the final stage of the 314 project." The colonel got this look on his face, and I couldn't help but sigh. "And you have no idea what I'm talking about."

"I know everything that goes on around here. A tick on a mouse couldn't get in without my knowing it. And if Adam wants to try, we're ready for him."

"Jolly good." Pops spoke up while taking off his glasses and scratching his brow. "H-how exactly do you plan to get close enough to Adam to remove his power source?" Giles looked at the colonel like he was stupid. There was a pause of silence as we all looked at the older man in a uniform.

"Hit him simultaneously with multiple taser Blasters. Incapacitate him with as much voltage as we can muster." He replied.

"Great plan. That;s right up there with _'duck and cover'._ " Xander popped off while crossing his arms.

"I've seen Adam hit with taser blasts. He feeds on it. And now you're gonna provide him with an all-you-can-eat buffet?" Buffy got a little sassy as she talked.

"You telling me my business?" The colonel narrowed his eyes at Buffy.

"This is not your business. It's mine." The Slayer took a step towards the colonel. "You, the Initiative, the boys at the pentagon, you're all in way over your heads. Messing with primeval forces you have absolutely no comprehension of." Buffy shook her head while furrowing her brows.

"And you do." The colonel smirked while jerking his chin up.

"I'm the Slayer. You're playing on _my_ turf."

"Up there, maybe." He gestured with his head. "But down here, I'm the one who's in control." He pointed to the ground. Suddenly, the lights went out and the lights on the exits turned on.

"Sir, the power grid's down. Backup's not responding." A man at a computer with a headset said. "We're locked in." He added after typing on the keyboard for a few seconds. We all looked at each other as red lights began to flash. "The containment area's been breached. Hostiles are loose."

"How many?" The colonel bent over to look at the screen while putting his hands onto the table.

"All of 'em, sir." The man at the computer gave him a brief look.

"It's Adam." Buffy told them. "Look, am the only one that can stop him now. Just let me handle this. Get your people out of here."

"All right." The colonel stood up while pointing at some soldiers. "You men follow me. We gotta take the armory now."

"Colonel-" Buffy went up to him.

"These people are under arrest. Do you understand?" The man ignored Buffy while pointing at us.

"Yes, sir." The soldier nodded. Buffy and I looked at each other as the colonel and his guys were leaving. When they were gone, Buffy took out the man at the computer while I took out the man at the computer while I took out the other soldier. Buffy grabbed the Blaster and looked to all of us.

"We've gotta find Adam."

"On it." Willow said while sitting down at a computer.

"The Enjoining spell is extremely touchy. It's, uh, volatile. We can't risk it being interrupted. We need a place that's close to you and quiet." Pops brought the bag full of magic items over.

"Uh-quiet?" Xander raised his brows while looking at the monitors. The Initiative was at war- the humans versus the demons. I was watching the slaughter on both sides, and I furrowed my brows at what was on another monitor. Squinting my eyes, I saw the unmistakable peroxide blonde hair and long, black coat that belonged to Spike. _'What the Hell is he doing here?'_ I thought, then rolled my eyes. _'Adam.'_

"How we doing, Wil?" Buffy was getting a little impatient.

"Done. Hold on." Willow said while typing away at the keyboard. "According to this, there's air ducts and electrical conduits all running into there." She pointed to the screen.

"So?" Buffy raised a brow.

"So, there's no there there. Look."

"It's Adam." Buffy crossed her arms.

"Are you sure?" Pops asked.

"Right behind 314. Can you unlock it?"

"I don't have to. A-all the locks in the Initiative have been disengaged except for the exits." Willow made this _'of course'_ face.

"Demon open house." Xander shrugged one shoulder.

"Great. So we know we're going to 314. Now all we have to do is get there." Buffy sighed. Going to the door that lead from the computers to the carnage, Buffy handed Xander the Blaster. Making sure Willow and Giles were in the back, I went up front with Buffy while letting my tail grow out. When she looked at me, I nodded as my teeth and claws sharpened while my ears pointed out.

Busting through the door, Buffy to the lead as Xander and I flanked her. Fighting demons and soldier-turned-vampires, we made our way through the Initiative to room 314. There were explosions, gunfire, flying bodies, and screaming....so much screaming.

"Willow, down!" Buffy shouted. Looking back, I quickly wrapped my tail around Willow and pulled her down as bullets barely missed hitting her. "Come on!" She shouted again as I pulled Willow back up. When we finally got to 314, we all rushed past the medical equipment while following Buffy. "Okay, it should be over here."

Moving some things out of the way, Buffy began to feel along the squares on the wall before pulling open a hidden door. It was incredibly bright on the other side, an extreme contrast to the lab.

"Once I'm in, barricade the door behind me." Buffy said while looking back. "Is this place okay to be magic central?" She asked Giles.

"It should do." He said while looking out the window on the door.

"As long as we don't get blowed up or nothin'." Willow shrugged.

"What are the odds of that?" Xander asked.

"How long before the ritual kicks in?" Buffy was still in the doorway.

"Five minutes, give or take." Pops answered while unpacking the magical ingredients from the tan bag.

"I'll move fast then."

"Buffy, I still don't like you going in alone." Xander said.

"I won't be." She smiled before running off. Willow closed the door behind her, and I began to help barricade the doors. Checking all the entrances, I made sure everything was blocked. Once that was done, Pops and Willow set up the Enjoining spell. Willow spoke while Pops lit the candles, and we all sat in a circle on the floor.

"Are you sure about doing this with a demon in the mix?" I asked.

"It'll be okay. Besides, last time you helped out with a spell, your demon half came in handy." Willow gave me a reassuring smile.

"If you say so." I smiled while loosening up my shoulders.

" _The power of the Slayer and all who wield it. Last to ancient, first we invoke thee._ " Willow began the spell. " _Grant us thy domain and primal strength. Accept us and the powers we possess. Make us mind and heart and spirit joined. Let the hand encompass us. Do thy will."_ She reached over to the stack of tarot-looking cards at her side and drew one. Placing it before her, she laid it face side up. " _Spiritus....spirit_." She handed one to Xander

_"Animus....heart."_ He set it down in front of himself like Willow had. The witch handed another card to Pops.

_"Sophus....mind."_ Then, it was my turn to receive a card.

_"And Manus....the hand."_ I set the card down after Willow gave it to me.

_"We enjoin that we may inhabit the vessel-the hand, daughter of Sineya, first of the ones."_ As Willow spoke, I began to feel a little dizzy and my heart beat quickened. _"We implore thee, admit us. Bring us to the vessel. Take us, now."_ Suddenly, my body felt weird as my head fell back and my arms went limp at my sides.

The blood coursing through my veins sounded like a rushing river as the sound of Willow, Xander, Pops, and Buffy's hearts were like a beating drum's echo. I felt the connection between us all like an electrical circuit closing to complete the circle to light the bulb. I could also hear Buffy's voice speaking Sumerian like a whisper on the wind in the back of my head. It was as if we all had come together to inhabit the same body instead of just casting the Enjoining spell. I could see through Buffy's eyes as she fought Adam, and whenever she spoke, I could feel the words coming off my lips as well.

When Adam had his back against the wall, I could see Buffy's hand shoot out and impale the demon-human cyborg. But it felt as if it was my own hand when she ripped out Adam's core. It was silver with green lights, somewhat pretty to look at save for a bit of spine still attached to it.

Panting, I suddenly came back to my own body. Looking around at everyone, I could still feel a buzzing inside me. _'That was so cool.'_ I thought while smiling.

"Wow. That was-" Willow was cut off as a demon burst through the barricade in the door. Before I could get to my feet and defend, Spike had the demon on its knees and snapped its neck. He was breathing heavily and chuckled as it fell to the ground.

"Nasty sort of fellow. Lucky for you blighters I was here, eh?" He said while grinning at us.

"Yes. Uh, thank you." Pops said as Spike put his hands on his knees. "Although your heroism is slightly muted by the fact that you were helping Adam to start a war that would kill us all." Pops took off his glasses.

"You probably just saved us so we wouldn't stake you right here." Xander looked at the vampire as Spike rose to his full height.

"Well, yeah." He paused as I glared. "Did it work?" We looked at each other before getting up off the ground. Spike took our silence as a yes and grinned. "Well, then everything's all right, and we all get to not be staked through the heart. Good work, team." He pointed at us. Rolling my eyes, I grabbed a reflex hammer with my tail and tossed it at Spike just as Buffy....and Riley came back.

"Buffy!" Pops and I said at the same time as we all heard a certain vampire shout _'Ow!'_

"Bad reflexes." I said over my shoulder before going up to Buffy with the rest of the guys.

"Wasn't it amazing?" Willow asked while receiving a hug from the Slayer.

"You were great." Xander said.

"We were great." Buffy corrected.

"We still got men out there." Riley said.

"Then let's go save 'em, by gum." Spike popped off while rubbing his head were the reflex hammer had bonked him.

"You guys get to the exits, get 'em open." Buffy then turned to Riley. "You, organize the soldiers, pull 'em back. I'll take point. Aud, back me up." She said while walking towards the now open door.

"Are you up for this?" Willow asked and was answered with Buffy punching the lights out of a demon.


	18. Is what I want to see

At Buffy's house for the first time, I sat on the stairs with Willow. The place was nice and it had a comforting air and smell to it. Joyce, Buffy's mom, seemed like an amazing and kind woman with how easily she let me into her home and treated me like another friend.

"Dinner is served." Xander said with his mouthful as he came in with a bowl full of popcorn. Riley was saying his goodbyes to Buffy while Xander held the bowl out to us. "And my very own recipe."

"Ooh! You push the button on the microwave that says _'Popcorn'_?" Willow asked while grabbing a handful.

"Actually, I pushed defrost, but, um, Joyce was there in the clinch." He smiled while leaning against the stair's rails.

"Well, you guys have fun tonight." Riley smiled at us. "It was very nice meeting you." He said while shaking Joyce's hand.

"It was nice meeting you. Finally." She smiled. He said bye to Buffy and vice versa before he left and the door was shut. "Did you notice how pointedly I said finally?" Joyce gave Buffy a look.

"No." Buffy walked away to the living room. Getting up from the stairs, we all followed the Slayer.

"Let the vid-fest begin." Xander said.

"You sure you won't join us?" Pops asked while taking popcorn from the bowl Joyce was holding.

"No. You guys have your fun. I'm tired. I can't believe you're not exhausted." She looked at us as we all sat down. "Have you even slept since...." Joyce trailed off.

"Still feel a little bit too wired." Pops told her.

"Mmm. Yeah, that spell-that was-that was powerful." Willow said.

"Don't think I could sleep." Buffy added.

"Well, we got plenty of vid. And I'm puttin' in a preemptive bid for _Apocalypse Now_ , huh?" Xander picked up a VHS from the pile.

"Did you get anything less heart-of-darkness-y?" Willow asked while getting comfortable on the couch.

" _Apocalypse Now_ is a gay romp. It's the feel-good movie of whatever year it was." Xander was trying to persuade to watch it first.

"What else?" Buffy asked.

"Don't worry." Xander sighed while putting the movie down. "Got plenty of chick and British-guy flicks, too." He said as Joyce left and Pops sat down. "These puppies should last us all night." And not even past the first twenty minutes of the first movie, we were all passed out.

~

Walking through the graveyard, I looked around and saw that there wasn't a soul in sight and everything was deathly silent. Shrugging my shoulders, I hopped up onto a gravestone while balancing on one foot.

"Come now, good balance means good posture." Glancing over, I saw a member from the Watcher's Council who had taught my etiquette classes.

"I never liked you." I told the old man. "You always smelt weird." The man nodded and walked away without another word. Looking forward, I skipped around on the headstones and grave statues like a small child. "The ground is lava." I chuckled.

Suddenly, I saw a small, orange light floating up ahead. It danced around a bit, wanting me to follow it. Hopping onto the grass, I walked over with my hands behind my back. The little light flitted about, leading me towards a crypt. Walking inside, I saw the little, orange ball stop.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked before hearing crunching. Turning around, I saw Pops and Spike sitting down in reclining chairs while watching TV. There were boxes of crackers everywhere- Pops was eating them while Spike was crumbling them up into his mug of blood. "What are you watching?" I asked while walking to where I could see the screen.

"It's my favorite program." Pops smiled while eating a cracker. Looking, the TV screen was just showing black and white fuzz. "Here comes my favorite part." Tilting my head at them, I simply left the two to watch TV.

"Aud the Oddity, welcome to my playground." I heard Willow's voice giggle. Glancing to the side, I saw a giant sand box with Xander, Willow, Buffy, and Anya playing in it.

"This isn't a playground, it's a crypt." I said while watching the girls bury Xander in sand while making him look like a mermaid with big boobs.

"Are you sure?" Buffy squinted while looking up at me. Looking around, I saw that we were actually in the desert.

"I guess not." Watching for a second, I put my hands into my pockets. "I best be going now, I have somewhere to be." They slowly waved goodbye to me before I continued to walk the desert. The sun was blinding, and it was silent once more. So, to make some noise, I began to hum a tune.

All of a sudden, a man in a suit with round, black glasses came out from behind a cactus. We looked at each other for a few seconds before he grinned.

"I wear the cheese. It does not wear me." He said before putting some slices of cheese on his head.

"Good to know." I replied. The man bowed, and I bowed back. The man then walked away and I found myself in a dry valley between two rocky outcrops. "Hello?" I shouted while cupping my hands around my mouth. My voice echoed back multiple times over. "Anybody there?" There was another echo.

"I am." I turned around, but nobody was there. The voice sounded like Tara, but I couldn't see her.

"Tara?" I mumbled before multiple screams pierced the air and filled my ears. My hands were warm, so I looked down at them. Tilting my head, I watched the blood covering my forearms as it dripped into the sand. My claws glistened with the sun hitting the crimson red.

"It's not mine." I mumbled. "Who's is it?" Raising a brow, I turned around in a circle to see my complete surroundings. "Hello? I think I've got your blood!" I shouted. In the distance, a figure shrouded in black rose up from the sand. "Is this yours?"

Next thing I knew, a woman was leaping out at me while dressed in thin cloth strips wrapped around her. She snarled while tackling me to the ground, she was obviously angry about something. Kicking her off me, I got to my feet and I felt my tail grow out. The woman's face was covered with white and black paint and her nails were long like claws. She went back to attacking me as I was defending myself. The longer we fought, the more my demonic traits began to show and by the time my ears were pointed out, the markings on my face began to appear. She was strong-extraordinarily strong.

When I had her pinned to the ground, though, I suddenly woke up with my face in the carpet and my legs scorpion style against the reclining chair I had been sitting in. Pushing myself up off the floor, I looked up to see everyone else also waking up with these strange looks on their faces. Soon, we were all sitting at the table in the dining room.

"The first Slayer. Wow." Willow raised her brows.

"Not big with the socialization." Xander said.

"Or the floss." Willow popped off.

"Somehow our joining with Buffy and invoking the essence of the Slayer's power was an affront to the source of that power." Pops looked around as he talked.

"You know, you could have brought that up to us before we did it." Buffy said.

"I did." Pops leaned on the table. "I said there could be dire consequences." He shifted in his seat.

"Yes, but you say that about chewing too fast." Buffy gave Giles a look.

"I'm, uh, guessing I missed some fun." Joyce said as she walked in.

"The spirit of the first Slayer." Willow told her.

"Tried to kill us in our dreams." I added with a shrug.

"Oh. You want some hot chocolate?" She asked while looking at all of us.

"Yeah." And "Yes, please." Was said all around.

"Xander?"

"Yes, what, Joyce? Uh, Buffy's mom." He corrected himself.

"Be my kitchen buddy again, help me carry?" She gestured towards the kitchen with her head while putting her hands into the pockets of her robe.

"Yes, sure....Buffy's mom." Xander said, acting a little weird.

"Are you all right?" Pops asked Buffy.

"Yeah. I think I might jump in the shower."

"You seem a bit...."

"A little." Buffy smiled. "The first Slayer. I never really thought about it. It was intense. I guess you guys got a taste of that, huh?"

"Yeah, from now on, you keep your Slayer friends out of my dreams, is that clear?" Xander said while poking the table. Buffy nodded while making a face.

"She's no good for sleepin'." Willow smirked.

"Unless you like getting lost in a desert." I popped off with a half-shrug.

"Yeah." Buffy grinned while getting to her feet. "Well, at least you all didn't dream about that guy with cheese." I paused while looking at Buffy as she walked away. "Don't know where the Hell that came from." Then, we all kind of looked at each other.


	19. Rhythmic Motion

"Ha! Touchdown! Oh, yeah." Buffy was grinning as she caught the football Riley had tossed to her. "Go, Team Me!" And she did this little victory dance.

"Anybody ever told ' _Team You'_ the quarterback throws like a girl?" Riley said when Buffy tossed it back.

"I do?" Buffy asked as she caught the football again. Riley grinned while nodding as he sort of shrugged. Then, she really threw the football back at Riley and he flew back when it hit him in the face.

"Oh! Uh...."

"Oh, sorry!" She cried, but the man was quickly back on his feet. "No! No, don't you-no, no, no!" Buffy backed away as Riley ran at her.

"I'm exhausted just looking at those two." Xander said while working at the grill. We were at the beach on a sunny day, and it was nice to be here rather than dreary and rainy England. "All the splashing and jumping and running- shouldn't relaxing involve less exertion?"

"Absolutely. Exertion can lead to sweatiness." Anya looked up from whatever it was she was doing as she sat in a beach chair, wearing a pink, two-piece swimsuit.

"Which can cause the pain and heartbreak of stinkiness. Better to just stay put." Tara smiled up at us from her tarot cards.

"I think we've just put our finger on why we're the sidekicks." Willow said as she was reading a book.

"Meh, I prefer the term _'backup'_ and _'hero support'_." I said while sitting up. Yeah, I wanted to swim too, but I didn't want to take off my hoodie to do it. But, then again, it was pretty hot underneath it.

"Game over?" Willow asked as Buffy and Riley came walking up.

"Uh, Buffy slayed the football." Riley held up a deflated football and tossed it onto the ground near us.

"Where's my burger?" Buffy pouted while seeing the grill void of food and fire.

"Yeah man, I'm starving. Cow me." Riley said as he sat down.

"The fire's not cooperating. It's comforting to know I lack the culinary finesse of a caveman." Xander sighed while still holding a box of matches. Grinning, I crawled over and bent down in front of the grill.

"Watch this." I said before looking at the dried up sticks and coal piled into the grill. Blowing, I felt my lips warm up as the heat left from underneath the hoodie. The grill burst into flames and Xander flew back so he wouldn't burn off his eyebrows.

"Wow, check you out, Aud. You got a bit of dragon in there?" Buffy asked while pulling down her sunglasses.

"No, just some demon-y stuff. I can only do it if I'm hot enough, though. Kind of like how a dog pants- I can either sweat or breathe fire." I smiled while backing up from the grill. Suddenly, thunder clouds rolled in and it began to pour down rain.

"Aah!" There were feminine screams as we all grabbed our stuff and ran for cover. What could have possibly happened to make such a fine day take such a sharp turn to a shit one?

~

"There you go. All set." Willow smiled while typing on the laptop.

"Thank you, Willow. Obstinate bloody machine simply refused to work for me." Pops said while looking over Willow's shoulder at the laptop.

"Just call my the computer whisperer." She said while messing with the scanner as Pops stood up and walked away. "Let's get scannin'. I want to see this puppy go."

"Start with those." Pops dropped four large books into Willow's arms.

"Start? Where is finish?"

"Willow, it's essential that we begin to archive the library. I mean, most of these texts have no duplicates." Pops was getting more books.

"But....now? Doesn't winter seem more like archiving season?"

"Well, you don't have to, Willow. I mean, you're welcome to leave if, uh...."

"No, it's fine." Willow sighed. "It's just, you've been Mr. Project all summer." The witch sat down. "You know, labeling the amulets and indexing your diaries. I draw the line at making a giant rubber-band balls." She waved a hand. "That's when you'll just have to get a life." _'Ooh, I'm hungry.'_ I thought while hopping up from the couch and going to the kitchen.

"That's what I'm trying to do, actually." Pops said after clearing his throat. "Is, um, get a life."

"Anybody wants some PB&J's?" I asked while grabbing the peanut butter. Pops shook his head while Willow accepted the offer.

"It might go better if you leave the house." Willow popped off.

"Willow, um," Pops sat down on the weapon's chest. "You mustn't repeat what I'm about to say, especially not to Buffy. That includes you, Aud." I paused while looking up. _'He sounds serious....'_

"Uh-oh." Willow said turning around.

"You promise?"

"Oh, God. Well, I guess. Now that I know there's something to know, I can't not know....just because I'm afraid somebody will know I know. You know?" Willow furrowed her brows a bit.

"Did that mean yes?"

"Yeah." She nodded. Pops glanced at me before going back to Willow.

"We're doing all this because I want you and the others to h-have everything you need at your fingertips. You see, I'm-I'm going back to England."

"You're....what? But you can't." Willow said as I just froze. "You're Buffy's Watcher. I mean, in a fired way, but-"

"Well, it's becoming quite obvious that Buffy doesn't need me anymore. An-and I don't say that in a self-pitying way. I'm-I'm quite proud, actually."

"But what about the rest of us?" Willow asked. "We still need to be watched. Personally, I can't get through a day without a little hairy eyeball."

"Well, I appreciate the sentiment, but it's-it's just not so. You'll be fine. You all will. And you know, we'll stay in tough. You can always-always call me whenever you like." Pops stood up.

"When are you gonna tell Buffy?"

"Soon. It won't be easy, but, uh....I know she'll understand." He grabbed his tea cup and took a sip from it.

"When did you decide we were going back?" I asked in an eerily calm voice. _'I don't want to go....'  
_

"A-a while back, actually." Pops took off his glasses. "And I waited until now to tell you because it's up to you if you want to go with me or stay here." Looking up with a shocked expression, I dropped the butter knife with a now bent up handle from my grip.

~

"And Buffy's all, _'Look out!'_ and then friggin' Dracula's standing right behind us." Xander said as he was walking towards the couch.

"And then he lunges at us, like, whoosh!" Willow moved her arms for emphasis.

"He totally looked shorter in person."

"I told you he'd heard of me, right?" Buffy asked. "I mean, can you believe that? Count Famous heard of me." Willow, Xander, and Buffy had all come in while excitedly telling us about what had happened when they were out in the cemetery. Tara, Riley, and Anya had joined us as well, and we were listening to the three go on about Dracula.

"I couldn't believe it the first 20 times you told us, but it's starting to sink in now." Riley said with some sarcasm as he stood up and put his hands into his pockets.

"I'm sorry. Am I repeat-o girl? I was just...." Buffy fiddled with her hands. "Blown away."

"It's not that surprising that he's heard of you, Buffy. You are the Slayer." Riley smiled at her.

"I guess it was just the way he said it, you know? I mean, he made it sound so-"

"Sexy?" Willow was grinning while looking like she was talking about Tara. It was weird.... "I bet he made it sound sexy."

"Kinda." Buffy was all smiled. "He of dark, penetrating eyes and lilty accent." She said as Tara came back from the kitchen.

"I wonder if he knows Frankenstein." Xander made a face.

"You thought Dracula was sexy?" Tara asked while handing Willow one of the glasses of soda she had.

"Oh! No. He-he was-yuck." Willow shook her head.

"Right, except for the whole tall, dark, and handsome thing. Yucko." Anya looked at the witches.

"How would you know?" Xander asked.

"Well, we hung out a few times." Anya smiled. "Back in my demon days. You know, once or twice. He's pretty cool." She sighed. "You know, from the whole evil-thing perspective." Anya quickly added.

"Please. He was no big whoop." Xander rolled his eyes while shifting on the couch.

"No big whoop? What about that thing where he turned himself into a bat? That was awesome." Willow looked at Xander.

"It must have been, yes." Pops said. "I must admit. I'm sorry I missed that." He was cleaning his glasses.

"Me too. The whole time I was thinking, _'Gosh, I wish Giles were here, he'd know what to do.'_ Didn't you guys....think that?" Willow looked from Giles to Xander and Buffy.

"Actually, I was more thinking, _'Bat!'_ " Buffy said while covering her head with her hands.

"How come he could do that?" Xander asked Pops.

"Um, I-I have no idea." Giles said while putting his glasses on. "Th-there's a great deal of myth about Dracula. I imagine the trick to defeating him lies in separating the fact from the fiction."

"Great point! That is so Giles....to think of something like that, you know?" Willow put her soda down onto the coffee table. "That-that we would have never...." She trailed off.

"So we should take things slow with Dracula." Buffy looked at the rest of us. "I mean, he said that we would meet again, but I would like to avoid that until we do some serious homework."

"I don't know." Riley raised his hand at his side. "I mean, he may have a bunch of swell party tricks, but he's still just a vampire. I say we load up with stakes and crossbows and go after him now."

"Second." Xander said while raising a finger.

"No, Buffy's right." Anya said while putting a hand on Xander's knee. "Dracula's too slick to fall for the usual stuff."

"We hold off. No killing until we know exactly what we're dealing with?" Buffy raised her brows.

"You're not just saying that because of those dark, penetrating eyes of his, are you?" Riley asked while putting his hands into his pockets.

"No, his eyes were-" Buffy stood up while walking over to the ex-commando. "they were-there was no penetration." She waved her hands and Riley gave her a look. "Cross my heart."

"All right. Um, Willow, you and Tara find out everything you can about the actual legend of Vlad the Impaler on the internet, and, uh, I'll check the library." Pops rose to his feet.

"If the Initiative was still around, we'd be able to find everything on this guy in a few hours." Riley waved his hand as everyone was rising to their feet.

"We may not be as fast, but we'll find him." Buffy said. "You guys, we'll reconvene here in the morning." Everyone gave a nod or a hum to let Buffy know they heard her.

"What's your plan?"

"Big sleep. My Count encounter wiped me out." Buffy said.

"I'm kind of wired. Maybe I should just let you get your rest."

"Are you sure?" Buffy looked up at Riley. "I mean, maybe if you just lie down with me-"

"Nothing you are about to say will lead to rest." Riley cut her off.

"I guess you're right. I'll see you in the morning?" The Slayer asked.

"Mm-hm. With donuts."

"Mmm. Heaven." They were smiling at each other and kissed. I would have cringed and said 'ew', but I was still a little off from what happened that morning with Pops and Willow. "See? A little sugar and I'm all yours. Dracula Shmacula." Then, they began to leave. But when they got to the door, Riley stopped.

"Oh, I forgot something." He said while patting his pockets.

"Okay, don't take too long." Buffy smiled before going. Riley watched her before coming back into the house and looking down at me.

"All right, I know we barely know each other and everything, but something's wrong with you, isn't there?" He placed his hands on his hips while glancing around.

"What?" I looked up at him from my seat.

"Well, you don't seem like your usual self...." He shrugged before crossing his arms. "Everyone else was probably busy with the whole Dracula thing to notice, but you didn't even say a word."

"Heh, did I make your Initiative senses tingle? It's okay, I'm not gonna go dark-side or anything." I waved him off.

"No, it's just that when you become a leader of a group of soldiers, you have to be able to tell when even one of them isn't 100%. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I understand. But you might want to talk to someone at least." Sighing, I gave a half-hearted smile.

"Thanks for the speech, Obi-Wan. Trust me, I'll be fine. Just need to think about a few things." I said while pointing to my head.

"You know what?" Riley said while narrowing his eyes. "Buffy does a lot of her thinking when she's fighting. How about you come with me and we'll go see someone you can give a good punch in the face to?" Raising a brow, I rose to my feet while crossing my arms.

"I'm starting to see why everyone likes you."


	20. Raw emotion

Walking into Spike's crypt, I looked around the place. He was certainly bringing it along and it was starting to look more like a shitty apartment and less like a crappy crypt. Putting my hands into my pockets, I looked at the candles lighting up the place.

"Well, well. You can take the boy out of the Initiative, but you can't take the Initiative out of the boy." Spike walked out of the shadows while holding a loaded crossbow.

"I'd put that down unless you're bucking for one Hell of a headache." Riley pointed at the weapon. Spike looked down and sniffed.

"I can't be too careful." He said while setting it down. "I got quite a few demons after me these days." Spike gave a proud smirk while sticking his thumbs behind his belt buckle as he walked towards Riley.

"I'm lookin' for some information. Might pay a little." Riley said.

"I'll play." The vampire walked towards a reclining chair and a side table. "Oh, since when did you and the half-breed start hangin' out?" He said when he finally saw me and I rolled my eyes while crossing my arms.

"What can you tell us about Dracula, blood breath?" I asked.

"Blood breath? Heh, that's good." Riley gave a short and small laugh. Spike rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Dracula?" He grabbed a cancer stick and set it between his lips. "Poncy bugger owes me 11 pounds, for one thing.

"You know him?" Riley crossed his arms while raising his brows.

"Know him? We're old rivals." Spike flipped open his lighter and made a little flame. Lighting his cigarette, he looked away. "But then he got famous and forgot all about his foes." Then, he looked at us and pointed. "I'll tell you what. That glory hound's done more harm to vampires than any Slayer. His story gets out, and suddenly, everybody knows how to kill us." He raised his hands out at his sides before sitting down. "You know, the mirror bit-"

"But he's not just a regular vampire." I said.

"He has special powers, right?" Riley asked.

"Nothin' but showy gypsy stuff." Spike made a face while waving his hand. "What's it to you, anyway?"

"He's in town, making his presence known." Riley then walked a bit away while looking around. Spike grinned while propping his feet up.

"Drac's in Sunnydale, way." He took a drag from his cigarette. "I guess the old boy needed closure after all."

"Actually, he's gunning for Buffy." I shifted on my feet.

"And we're out to find him before he gets another shot at her." Riley sat down on a concrete bench.

"Tough talk, cowboy. But you're not gonna catch him napping in a crypt." Spike gestured to his place. "No, the Count has to have his luxury estate and his bug-eaters and his special dirt, doesn't he?"

"So you're saying we should check out mansions, that sort of thing?" Riley asked.

"No." Spike stood up. "I'm saying you two kitties should go home-you to your super honey, have a nice, safe snog," He dropped his cancer stick and put it out. "and you to your Papa Bear and stuff your face with snacks." Spike looked at both of us. "You're out of your depths on this one, kids." He turned and took a few steps away.

"You've helped Buffy before, so she has no problem with killing you now that you're helpless...." I trailed off.

"We don't." Riley finished. Spike turned around and walked towards us.

"I'd like to see you try." He looked down at the human. Riley stood up as I let my tail grow out.

"Would you?" We ended up saying at the same time. _'Hey, maybe I **can** get along with this guy.' _Spike scoffed before looking away. Riley jerked his head towards the door, signaling it was time to go. Nodding, I followed him out.

"You're never gonna find him." Spike shouted just before the door closed behind us.

~

The next morning, Riley really did bring donuts with him. He even brought more than one box just in case if I or anyone else wanted to pig-out.

"Well, I think we have Dracula factoids." Willow spoke up from her notes.

"Like any of that's enough to fight the Dark Master." Xander said after taking the jelly donut from Riley. We looked at him and he quickly added something else. "Bator."

"A lot it we already knew." Willow continued. "Turnoffs: wood, fire, crosses, garlic. Turn-ons: nice duds, minions, long, slow bites that last for days."

"Yeah, Aud and I did a little research too. Dracula likes to live in style. Which means we can rule out the usual dumps vampires haunt." Riley said.

"You and Aud did research?" Buffy furrowed her brows.

"Know your allies before you know your enemies." I said before biting into a donut.

"Ah, but he's smart enough to figure that we already know that." Xander pointed. "I'm guessin' he's layin' low."

"Actually, my research backs Riley up. Drac isn't the lay-low type." Willow fiddled with her pen.

"So, uh, we can check out the nicer places." Pops said after handing Riley a cup of coffee and putting his hands into his pockets. "Don't you think, Buffy?" Pops sat down. "Buffy?"

"Yeah, we'll check all the swanky places first. What else did you guys get?"

"W-well, Willow has most of it, actually." Pops smiled.

"Only because you gave me super pointers." She sat on the edge of her seat. "I never would have-"

"Just....go ahead, Willow." Pops raised a hand.

"Okay. Dracula's _modus operandi_ is different from other vampires." Willow began. "He will kill just to feed, but he'd rather have a connection with his victims, and he has all of these mental powers to draw them in. He-he can read and control minds....and appear in dreams."

"Sounds like a pasty boogie-man." I popped off.

"Uh-huh." Buffy's voice was quiet.

"Makes sense. That stare.... He kinda looks right through you. Didn't you feel it, Buffy?" We looked to the Slayer and she glanced at Riley.

"No." She shook her head. "Nah, I didn't." And she got off the couch.

"See? Buffy didn't feel it. I think you're drawing a lot of crazy conclusions about the Unholy Prince." We all looked at Xander again and he was bouncing his leg up and down. "Bator."

"Point is, though he goes through the motions of an intimate seduction, the end result is the same-he turns them into a vampire." Pops said.

"Well, that is intimate. Dracula's gifting these ladies with his own blood." Xander was acting a bit strange. "And blood-blood is life." He looked up at us while still bouncing his leg. "According to them." Then his hand smacked down on the table.

"Um, just be aware that he tends to form a relationship with his prey." Pops waved a hand. "It's not enough for him to take her. She must want to be taken. She must, uh, burn for him." I noticed Buffy nervously messing with her scarf. _'Does this Dracula guy scare her?'_ I thought while furrowing my brows.

"That's interesting. I'm gonna find him." Buffy then headed for the door.

"You shouldn't go by yourself, Buffy." Riley stood up and followed her. "This guy's seriously dangerous."

"It's cool. I got it." Buffy shrugged.

"I'm with Riley on this, Buffy." I said, but she sort of ignored me and went to the door. _'Okay, something is up.'_ Then I followed the Slayer and Riley outside.

"Hey." Riley grabbed her arm to stop her from walking away. "Take off that scarf."

"What? No." She put a hand over the fabric around her neck.

"You're under the thrall of the Dark Prince." I stated while looking at her.

"Oh, I am not under the thrall of the Dark Prince." Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Then take off the scarf." Riley half-shrugged.

"Oh, let go of me. This is ridiculous." And as Buffy took her arm out of Riley's grip, he grabbed the scarf. It easily slipped off and there were two round puncture wounds on her neck over an old scar. That was when everyone else came out and saw it too. Buffy went quiet before walking over to the fountain and sitting down. She covered her face with her hands as we gained sort of worried looks.

"Well, why didn't she say anything?" Pops asked.

"'Cause she didn't want to worry us, right, Buffster? It's nothin'. Just a scratch." Xander gestured towards his own neck.

"Two deep, puncture-y scratches." Willow added. Buffy looked up at us and sighed.

"I'm not sure why I tried to hide it. Uh, there was just this voice, and it was telling me to cover it." Buffy explained.

"And what did I tell you? That's thrall." Riley pointed at the Slayer.

"You're saying Dracula has some sort of freaky mind control over her? You're watchin' too many creature features, man." Xander said before his gaze followed a fly.

"It does seem like he has this control over me, even though a big part of me is resisting." Buffy looked up at Riley.

"No, that's okay. I-I shouldn't take this personally." Riley said while messing with the little scarf in his hands. "I mean, what with Angel. I mean, it's understandable that there would be transference. I mean, they're both broody immortals." Riley looked jealous and sounded pouty.

"I am not transfer-y." Buffy rose and stood close to Riley with a slight glare in her eyes. "I swear to you." Her look softened before she smiled. "I'm your girl, and I'm gonna stay that way."

"Okay. But you are not going anywhere near him again."

"Uh, Riley's right. You should stay out of sight." Pops spoke up. "Let the rest of us look for Dracula."

"I can't go home. He already got inside once." Buffy told us.

"You can come over to my place. I'll make sure you stay put." Xander waved a pointed hand.

"Good." Pops shook a finger at Xander. "Aud, Riley, and I can, uh, can search for Dracula. And Willow, you-you and Tara could do a protection spell at Buffy's house to prevent him from returning."

"Got it." Willow then looked at Buffy. "How'd he get inside anyway?"

~

"Another bust." Riley sighed.

"And it's getting dark. I should have turned up a better lead. There must be an easier way to find him." Pops said as we were going down the driveway away from a lavish mansion.

"Ah, too late to worry about that now." Riley marked this address off of the list. "If we hurry, we can hit these last places." After a while, the sun was down and we were at the end of the list. We were walking on a gravel road when an old castle came into view. "I've lived in Sunnydale a couple of years now. Know what I've never noticed before?" Riley asked.

"Uh, a castle?" Pops and I asked.

"A big, honking castle." Walking up to the front entrance, we just walked in without bothering to knock. Looking around, we could definitely tell someone was living here. Silently looking at each other, we decided to split up.

Walking one way while Pops and Riley went another, I took cautious steps to make sure I wouldn't get caught. Peeking around corners, I saw the halls were clear before I went down them. Sniffing the air, I caught trace smells of....Buffy. Following that, I found myself in a dining hall with everyone else.

"I'm finished being everybody's butt monkey." Xander was saying as he held a torch in one hand and was pointing at the ground with the other. 'What did I walk into?'

"Check. No more butt monkey." Buffy nodded.

"It could have been worse." Riley said. "At least you weren't making time with the Dracu-Babes like Giles here." Riley said, and I noticed Pops missing a shoe while his shirt was open.

"Pops!" I said and he looked at me.

"That was not making time. I-I was just about to kill those, uh, loathsome creatures....when Riley interrupted me." He said while crossing his arms.

"Really? You were gonna nuzzle 'em to death?" Riley laughed while grinning and Buffy smiled as they were walking away.

"Of course not. I was in complete....control." Pops said as we were leaving.


	21. Infiltrating through

"Well, I sympathize with you, Buffy. I truly do." Pops said as he was driving down the road. Buffy had shotgun while I sat in the back with her little sister. "But I'm certain that Riley understands better than anyone else the importance of training." There was classical music playing on the radio while the top of the car was down. "You can't allow personal concerns to distract you from-Dawn, will you stop fiddling with the radio and sit down?"

The young, brunette girl had gone between the front two seats to change the station on the radio. It felt a little awkward in the backseat since I had no clue who Dawn was other than her being Buffy's younger sibling. Plus, she kept looking at me oddly. When she sat back down after leaving the radio alone, she buckled back into the seat.

"Are you really Giles's daughter?" I looked over at Dawn after she questioned me.

"I'm adopted." I cleared my throat. "You really think he'd ever reproduce with a demon?" I tried to make a joke, but she just gave a thoughtful look.

"So, how can you tell you're a half-demon?" She asked.

"Um, for one thing, I'm really strong. Also, even though you can't see them right now, I do have demonic body parts." I shrugged.

"Ooh, like what?" She grinned.

"Well...." I trailed off before leaning over. Letting my ears point out, I showed them to her. "And I got a tail."

"Cool." She was grinning. "Can I see?"

"Maybe some other time....when we're someplace not so open and populated with people." I gave a smile.

"Okay." She nodded before looking over. "Hey, there's Willow and Tara!" Dawn pointed.

"Ooh. They haven't seen my new car." Pops said. He slowed down and parallel parked next to the Espresso Pump.

"Hey, Giles, sharp wheels." Willow looked at the car as we climbed out of the vehicle.

"The rest of the car's nice too." Tara smiled.

"Handles like a dream." Pops grinned.

"Where are you two guys heading?" Buffy asked.

"Magic shop. I have some charms on back order." Willow pointed a thumb over her shoulder.

"Willow, hi." Dawn smiled.

"Hey, Dawnie." And Willow opened her arms and hugged the girl. "How's my favorite chess partner? Still leading with your knight?" Dawn nodded.

"Hey, Dawn." Tara gave a smile and waved. We then walked with the two witches down the sidewalk. I stayed in the back of the pack, taking my time to look around the place. You never know what might jump out at you in Sunnydale.

"Shop's kinda dark. Maybe it's closed." Tara said.

"That's odd." Pops walked up. Opening the front door, we discovered it was unlocked....and the shop was a wreck. At least, I hope it was. If the magic shop usually looked like this, than they needed better management....

"Well, I think _odd_ just got upped to _bad_." Buffy said while looking around.

"I hope you aren't talking about me." I mumbled.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Pops called out.

"Mr. Bogarty?" Tara raised her voice. "The owner. I come in here a lot." She added when everyone looked at her.

"Well, maybe this happened really late at night when nobody was-" Willow was cut off after she went down the few stairs and tripped.

"Wil?" Buffy and I looked at her with a little concern. I quickly let my tail grow out as I began to growl-I smelt blood.

"I'm fine. I just tripped over....Mr. Bogarty." Willow backed away while Tara went to her side. On the ground was an old man with a messy vampire bite plain on his neck.

"What-what is it? Is he okay?" Dawn said.

"It's nothing you need to see. Dawn, go wait outside." Buffy pushed her sister back to prevent her from seeing the dead man.

"I don't want to wait outside!"

"Dawn."

"Ow! That hurts." Buffy took her sister outside. Looking around, I didn't see any signs of who could have done this. So, bending down, I sniffed the body.

"I'm picking up many scents- but they are all very faint. Bad enough they're vampires." I stood up. "I'm sorry, but I don't recognize any of the smells." Pops bent down and closed the old man's eyes.

"Looks like someone put together a new fang club." Buffy walked towards the check-out counter.

"Well, I've cross-checked the inventory list, and things are definitely missing." Willow said while holding onto a large book. "Mostly books, including _'A Treatise on the Mythology and Methodology of the Vampire Slayer_ '." Willow read the title from the book she had. Buffy pulled a piece of paper from her bag.

"Oh, shoot! Was that the only copy?" She asked.

"Come on, Buffy. This could be very serious." Pops took the book Willow had as I walked around. "Whoever's leading this pack of vampires appears to be interested in learning more about you." I began to sniff things, trying to find any one of the vampires' scent trails that was strong enough to track. "Perhaps searching for weaknesses or-good Lord." Pops stopped.

"What?"

"Well, I had no idea the profit margins on a shop like this were so high." He began to flip pages. "Look at this. Low overhead, out-of-state orders, international wh- It's no wonder there's never any trouble attracting new owners." Pops had a certain tone in his voice. "Place like this is a virtual-"

"Deathtrap." Buffy interrupted.

"What? Well, yes, there is that, but, uh, still.... Location, you know, pedestrian traffic...." Giles began to walk around.

"So what's the next step." Willow asked.

"Buffy, you should begin looking for their lair straightaway."

"I'll get Riley to help me patrol." Buffy said.

"Wait. Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Impressive square footage." I heard Pops mumble.

"You're on Dawn duty." Willow continued.

"Oh, doody. If I drop my sister back at home my mother's gonna kill me."

"I bet the death rate keeps the rent down." Pops was still walking around. "Oh, hello. Something's been taken from this case. Look here." Glancing up, I walked over to sniff.

"What'd they take?" Buffy asked.

"I should think an item of-of value or-or power, possibly even-"

"A unicorn." Willow said. "Ten-inch ceramic unicorn imported from Thailand." I couldn't hear what was said next due to my sneeze. Shaking my head, I tried picking up a scent again.

"Oh, bless you."

"Thanks."

"Which begs the question, what kind of unholy creature fancies cheap, tasteless statuary?" Pops asked as I began to sneeze some more.

"No, no, no, no, n-achoo!" My tail stuck straight out whenever I sneezed.

"Allergies, Aud?" Buffy asked. I shook my head and waved my hands while going into a sneezing fit.

"My-achoo!-weakness when-achoo!-tracking!" I got as far away from the glass case as possible. "Whatever-achoo!-vampire-achoo!-did this wears-achoo!-strong perfume. Achoo!" Willow handed me a tissue from a box behind the counter. "Ugh...." I groaned before going into another sneezing fit.

~

After my sneezes and my nose had been cleared of the perfume attack, I went by Buffy's to tell her I had found something. The perfumed vampire hadn't taken the unicorn, only looked at it. Some other vampire had broken the glass and taken it-nicking himself when he had busted the glass in.

With the way I had come from, I went to the back door in the kitchen. Knocking, I waited a second before hearing screams and shouting. Quickly busting through the door as some of my demonic traits showed, I ran towards the vampire pinning Xander to the ground. She knocked the lamp from Anya's hand, making it shatter against the wall. The noise of the pieces falling was drowned out by my roar as I drop-kicked the female.

"Aud!" Xander called as the vampire tumbled out of the front door and knocked down the others on the porch.

"Ugh! What the Hell was that?!" The female vampire practically screeched as she got to her feet. Standing in the doorway while slightly crouched down, I snarled and flashed my teeth at her. "That's no fair! You got a guard demon!" Anya pulled me back into the house while Xander slammed the door shut. Locking it, they peeked out of the windows on the door.

"This isn't over, Xander! I'll be back!" The blonde vampire shouted.

"And we'll be ready for you. Stakes, crosses, the whole enchilada!" Xander yelled back. The two humans slid down the door while looking at each other. "Buffy is not gonna be happy about this."

"Oh, no, that was the-Achoo!"

~

"That's a lot of weapons for somebody you weren't sweating 20 minutes ago." Riley sighed while crossing his arms. Buffy was busy loading up on wooden stakes, crossbows, and even axes.

"Well, that was before Dawn gave Harmony a backstage pass to kill us all in our sleep." Buffy said as Riley began to walk around the Slayer's room.

"Buff, I left word with Willow." Xander put his hands onto his hips while addressing Buffy. I, on the other hand, was busy trying to get my sneezing under control. Yeah, it wasn't as bad as it was earlier, but Harmony's damn perfume lingered. "She'll come do a return engagement of her un-invitation spell. She probably still has stuff from last week. And bang, boom, you're back in _Fortress of Solitude_." Xander said while smacking the back of one hand into his other palm. "All better." He then shrugged.

"No. Not all better." Buffy gave Xander a look. "I mean, it's not like Dawn hasn't grown up in this house knowing all the rules. Especially the biggie, numero one-oh, _'Do not invite bloodsucking dead people into our home.'_ I mean, please." Buffy was messing with a small hatchet. "I would never have Harmony over even when she was alive."

"People slip, Buffy. Your mom did. She invited Mast-Dracula in for coffee." Xander had to correct himself.

"Well, that was different. I mean, she....he would...." Buffy raised her hands out at her sides while shrugging. "She was lonely, and-and....and she didn't know he was a vampire." Buffy looked at us. " _The_ vampire. Meanwhile, Dawn knew exactly what Harmony was when she rolled out the welcome mat for her." Buffy made a motion like she was rolling out a carpet.

"She's just a kid." Riley said.

"You know, will everyone please stop saying that?" Buffy looked at Riley. "I was a kid when I met my first vampire, but somehow I still managed to remember the rules." She said while grabbing her jacket. My sneezing was finally dying down a little more, so I was able to pay closer attention to what was being said.

"You had to. It was your job." The ex-commando told Buffy.

"No. No, it was common sense." She put her jacket on. "But nobody expects even that much from Dawn, do they? No, she has to be coddled from the big bad world." Buffy threw her hands down at her sides. "Well, you know what? We are doing nothing but turning her into a little idiot who is going to get us killed." The guys looked away-Buffy had a point.

"I wouldn't say 'idiot'." I said while sniffing. "Just naive." Buffy nodded while looking a bit frustrated.

"She just has to be more careful. I-I can't be there to protect her 24 hours a day. I-I just can't." Buffy looked at each of us. After a moment of silence, we kind of just headed downstairs. Walking to the kitchen where the ex-demon would be, Xander shouted.

"Anya!" Hurrying into the kitchen, Xander went to her side. She was unconscious and laying on the floor. Riley helped sit her up as she began to come to. The back door was open, and the scene wasn't painting a pretty picture.

"Vampires took...." She mumbled.

"This head wound looks bad. We'd better get her to a hospital." Riley said after looking at the woman's head.

"They took her...." She murmured some more as Buffy went to the phone.

"Easy, An. Shh-shh." Xander tried to comfort her as he held her.

"Dawn." Anya finally spoke clearly.

"Dawn? Wh-what about Dawn?" Buffy stopped dialing.

"She ran out. They....took her." And Anya's clarity faded. "Vampires...." She mumbled.

"Oh, God. Oh, God." Buffy was looking around, trying to think of what to do. "Uh, take care of Anya." She handed Riley the phone. "Aud, you're coming with me." Buffy went to the back door and I followed her.

"Buffy!" Riley called, be we were already out the door and gone. Buffy had a clear idea on where she was heading, so I didn't ask questions. Now that i was also out in the open, I was able to breathe better through my nose and stopped sneezing completely.

Buffy lead the way to the cemetery, and I figured out where we were headed when we went past most of the gravestones and certain crypts and tombs. The Slayer kicked open Spike's door and briskly walked up to him.

"Well, speaking of dishes, to what do I owe this unpleasant-" He was cut off by Buffy's fist hitting him square in the face. "Ow! Bloody Hell!" Spike shouted as I came up and pinned him to the concrete column while snarling.

"I don't have time to banter, Spike." Buffy crossed her arms. "Where's Harmony's lair?"

"Haven't seen her in months." The vampire glared at us. "How should I know-ow!" I headbutted him.

"Where is she?" Buffy asked again.

"At least lay off the nose." Spike raised his voice. Pulling back one of my fists, he leaned back while raising his hands. "Okay, okay!" I slightly lowered my fist. "Used to have a cave in the North Woods. About 40 meters past the overpass construction site." Narrowing my eyes, I backed off. Then, Buffy punched him again. "Ow!" He glared daggers at the Slayer as she walked away. "I was telling the truth!"

"I know." Buffy said. Following her out, I saw how her blonde ponytail was swaying from side to side with how fast she was walking. I had no idea where the North Woods were, so I just silently followed the Slayer. But I knew when we got close-I went into another sneezing fit from Harmony's perfume. "Thanks for the detection, Aud." Buffy put a hand on my shoulder. "Just stay here, far enough to where you won't sneeze. I'll be out in a few minutes. Then, Buffy left me as I was nodding and sneezing. Walking back the way we had come, I passed a number of trees before the perfume's scent was gone.

The only thing I could do now was wait for Buffy to come back. 'She's the Slayer, she'll be okay, right?' I thought while trying to calm my sneezes. And a few minutes later-like Buffy had said-she was back with Dawn. They both were in one piece and seemingly unharmed, so I guess it was their lucky night. Anything could have happened to Dawn.

~

Bringing in boxes of stuff into the magic shop, I piled them around in near vicinities of where Pops had told me to put them. Dawn was at a table, writing in her journal, and Pops was unpacking the boxes while putting the various items where he wanted them.

"Giles, are you sure about this?" I heard Buffy ask.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, aside from the fact that most magic shop owners in Sunnydale have the life expectancy of a ' _spinal tap'_ drummer. I mean, have you ever run a store before?"

"I was a librarian for years. This is exactly the same, except people pay for the things they don't return." Pops waved a hand while walking around the front counter. "It'll give me focus, help increase my resources, and it'll prevent you lot from trampling all over my flat at all hours." Setting down a stack of boxes, I looked around. I could see why Pops was so invested in this place. "There may even be some space for you to train in the back."

"Boy, you really thought this through." Buffy said after taking a little dragon statue from Dawn as she followed Pops to the back. "How bored _were_ you last year?"

"This box goes upstairs." Pops handed me a box that smelt of old books before he gave Buffy a look. "I watched _Passions_ with Spike. Let us never speak of it." Buffy and I laughed. Going up the black metal staircase, I took the box up to the loft-like area.


	22. Sweet senstions

"Miscellaneous curses." Pops chuckled while reaching into a box on the table. "Brilliant." He said sarcastically while grabbing a handful of tangled up pendants, charms, talismans, and the sort. "Be lucky if I don't curse my hands off at the wrists. Oh!" Pops had picked up the box, and I looked up from unpacking books when he gave a sound of surprise.

"The Slayer is not here." The tall demon with crackly skin said while raising a stick in his hand. Growling, I let my tail and claws grow out.

"Rabbit's foot." Pops pulled an item from the box. "No, wait." The demon pushed the box from Pops's hands, and he held up a statue.

"That is a fertility god. Feeble man, you are not likely to strike-uhh!" Pops hit him over the head with the fertility goddess statue as I quickly went down the stairs. Giles hit him a few more times before I tackled him to the ground. "You are not the Slayer. You do not concern me." The demon said while using his stick to whack me off of himself. As I was getting back onto my feet, the demon was leaving.

"What the Hell just happened?" I looked to Pops and he could only shrug while still holding the wooden statue.

~

"Like this....and this....and this...." Pops was showing everyone how he had fought back against the demon with the fertility goddess.

"That thing's pretty heavy." Riley said while looking up from a book. We were all just kind of sitting around, looking through books while trying to find the orange raisin-looking demon.

"That's Oofdar." Willow said. "Goddess of childbirth. She's got some heft to her." The redhead grinned.

"Yeah." Pops smiled while looking down at the statue.

"How badly did you hurt him?" Buffy asked.

"Well, hurt, um....maybe not _hurt_."

"Pops probably did as much damage to the demon as it did whacking me with its stick." I popped off.

"Well, I-I'm sure it was startled." Willow looked at Giles.

"Ah, yes, yes. I'd imagine it gave him rather a turn." Pops smirked.

"He ran away, huh?" Buffy grinned.

"Um...." I scratched the back of my head. "More along the lines of turned and swept out majestically. It was like watching those high-class folks in the movies that wear long robes and capes."

"He said we didn't concern him." Pops set down the fertility goddess.

"I would have if he stayed to fight." I mumbled while pouting.

"So a mythic triumph over a completely indifferent foe." Buffy said.

"Well, I'm not dead or unconscious, so I say bravo for me." Pops put a hand into his pocket.

"Some good demons in this one. See if your guy's in here." Willow handed Giles a book.

"So, you bought the magic shop, and you were attacked before it even opened." Xander said as he was messing with stuff on a table. "Who's up for a swingin' chorus of the _'we told you so'_ symphony?" Riley walked over to the table.

"Owning this place does seem kind of dangerous." Riley said as he grabbed the fertility god statue by its head and tested out its weight. Then, he swung it like a baseball bat.

"Toth." Pops looked up from the book in his lap.

"What?" The ex-commando asked.

"He called you a toth. It's a British expression. It means, like, moron." Buffy said and I shook my head.

"No, Toth is a character in Egyptian mythology." I stated while getting up to look at the book Pops had.

"It also happens to be the name of the demon." Giles said. "Be careful with that." Pops glanced up at Xander. "Ancient demon. Very strong. Last survivor of the Tothric Clan. It also says that for a demon, he's unusually sophisticated."

"Sophisticated? He whacked me with a bloody stick!" I said while pointing to my head. _'Did I just say **'bloody'**? Oh, man, the English are getting to me and I'm not even in England any more.' _I thought, and thankfully, no one seemed to notice.

"So I should discuss men's fashions with him before I chop his head off?" Buffy asked.

"They're referring to the fact that he does not fight barehanded." Pops sighed. "He uses tools, devices."

"Oh, but still. He used a freaking stick." I closed the book I had.

"Oh, he's also supposed to be very focused. And since he mentioned the Slayer, I think we know what the focus is." Pops looked up from the book again.

"He mentioned Buffy?" Riley was still holding the Oofdar like a weapon. "Where do we find him, and how hard can I kill him?" He finally put down the statue.

"Well, there's no mention of the types of places he might frequent, but...." Pops trailed off while shutting the book and standing up. "I have an idea." He walked around a bit before continuing. "He had a very specific olfactory presence."

"Well, I guess we're off to the _Old Factory_. I hate that place." Xander said. We all looked at him and he grinned. "I'm joking. I know what it means. He smelled. Right?"

"Some demon rituals involve anointing with oils." Willow spoke up. "Was it sort of sandalwood-y?" I slightly cringed at the memory.

"Um....not even remotely. But he was very, um....distinctive." Pops said.

"He smelt like _Landfill No. 5_." I added while still making a face.

~

"The city dump, where smells go to relax and be themselves." Buffy said as we were walking through the trash.

"People say they're recycling." Riley popped off while looking around. "They're not recycling."

"Yeah, and it reeks out here." I had my nose covered before we had even entered the dump. "I think this place might be the thing that breaks my nose."

"I found a spell so you can't smell anything," Willow glanced back at me. "but it does it by taking your nose off, so, no." Willow raised her shoulders while making a face. As we kept walking, we began to hear clattering and rummaging in the trash.

"What are you doing here, Spike?" Riley asked.

"Oh, there's this nice lady vampire who set up a charming tearoom over the next pile of crap." The undead English said while standing up and pointing with a mannequin's arm. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm scavenging, ain't I?" He held up a glass lamp in surprisingly good condition.

"Very pretty." Willow told Spike and he made a face while raising the lamp.

"Spike, um, we're looking for a demon, um...." Pops trailed off as the vampire headed towards a shopping cart full of stuff. "Tall, robed, skin sort of hanging off, deep voice." Spike then turned fully towards us.

"You mean a great, tall, robey thing like that one?" He pointed behind us.

"Take cover!" Was shouted as the demon aimed his stick at us and something explosive shot out from it.

"It shoots stuff?!" I said with surprise as my eyes went a fraction wider.

"Big guy! Kick her ass!" Spike yelled while pointing at Buffy. Toth aimed for her and shot, but her and Xander ducked. The blast kept going and hit the lamp in Spike's hand. "Oh, very nice! I was on your side." He threw down the broken lamp like a child throwing a fit.

"Watch out!" I looked over to see Xander pushing Buffy out of the way as another blast was shot. It hit the human male dead on and sent him flying back into a pile of garbage. We all ran to the human's side to help him, but when we looked back, the demon was gone.

~

It was raining outside and it was late at night when Xander called for a meeting. Apparently, there was someone-or something- that looked identical to himself.

"No, no. He looked exactly like me." Xander said while telling his story of what had happened. "It stole my face, We have to find it, and we have to kill it."

"Stole your face?" I raised a brow. "You mean copied-there are things out there that _will_ literally steal your face."

"Don't worry Xander. Whatever stole-er, copied-your face, it has to deal with the Slayer now." Buffy told him.

"So how do we begin looking for it? I can't track it-unless you managed to get something with its scent on it." I looked at Xander and he shook his head.

"What's intriguing me is that there are a number of demons with the ability to mimic a simple form, but, us....this sounds like more than that." Pops said.

"Hold up. Do we really have to figure out what it is? Let's just go kill it." Xander asked and I gave him a look.

"You wanna know how to kill it, right? Gotta know what it is to know its weakness." I told him.

"Toth." Buffy looked up at us. "Demon with the creepy stick thing."

"Toth." Xander nodded.

"It's gotta be. I mean, he hit Xander with that blast, and somehow it allowed him to take Xander's form." Buffy waved one of her hands as she talked. "Couldn't that be what the creepy stick thing did?" She looked at Pops as he took off his glasses.

"Yes, I suppose. Yes, yes. It makes sense. A shape-shifting device." Giles put his glasses back on as he went to one of his bookcases.

"It does make sense. It must be Toth." Xander agreed.

"I was gonna look for Toth anyway. Guess now I start looking for you." Buffy stood up while placing her hands on her hips.

"Should I go with you? I told Anya to meet me at my new place. I'd feel a whole lot better knowing she's safe from this creep."

"Go be with her." Buffy smiled and nodded. "I mean, if you were out there looking for the double too-let's just say that I wouldn't wanna run into you and kill the wrong one."

"Good thinking. When you kill this thing, you'd better make sure you got the one who's actually a demon." Xander looked at Buffy before he left. Standing up, I grabbed my coat since the rain had let up.

"I think I'm gonna go back to the dump." Pulling my jacket on, I looked at the guys. "Gonna see if I can pick up the demon's scent there and track him."

"But it just rained." Riley looked at me.

"Yeah, and?" I smirked. "Rain would wash away faint smells-like a vampire's scent or-or a snail's and a cricket's, but this demon reeked to high heaven. It'll take a few rains to get rid of his smell." Looking to Pops, I jerked my chin up. "Call me if you need me or find something." hen, I left and headed to the dump.

Not even thirty minutes later and I already received a call.

_'Nobody loves you when your skin is so pale,_  
And your teeth are getting sharper  
Than your black finger nails.  
Nobody needs you when your eyes turn white  
And the light of day can keep you up all night.  
Because-'

I finally managed to pull my phone out and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Aud, you can come back now."

"What? But I just got to the dump." Putting one hand on my hip, I listened to Pops on the other end of the call.

"Neither Xander is Toth."

"How?" I furrowed my brows.

"Come on, Aud. I know you're a smart girl. If neither Xander is a demon, how is that possible?" I could hear the grin in Pops's voice while he was giving me a little test. Biting the inside of my cheek, I thought about it.

"Oh! Oh, oh!" I shook my fist. "The stick thing split the one Xander into two!"

"There you go. Now hurry on to the Magic Box."

~

"Look and admire, ladies." One Xander said. I was looking, and it was so odd....

"Look, there's a scar there, there's the same on there." Buffy got up close to them as she noted and pointed out the similarity.

"It's doubled." Willow said. "This zit, and this....kinda funny dippy thing. And-and this weird little hair that grows the wrong way."

"Okay! Back off ladies." A Xander said.

"Psychologically, this is fascinating." Riley was sitting on the stairs while smiling. "Doesn't it make everyone want to lock them in separate rooms and do experiments on them?" Everyone looked at Riley, even Pops did while he was drawing the magic pentagram on the floor that would reunite the Xanders.

"Riley, your Initiative is showing...." I said to him.

"Just me then." He said while looking down.

"So, um, you Xanders really do have all the same memories, all the same...." Anya trailed off while clicking her tongue. "physical attributes?" She chuckled.

"We're completely identical." Said one Xander.

"Yeah. We check out some stuff in the car out the way over." There was a quiet pause.

"Fingerprints." The other Xander clarified.

"Well, maybe we shouldn't do this reintegration thing right away." Anya looked back at us. "See, I can take the boys home, and, you know, we can have sex together, and then-then, you know, just slap 'em back together in the morning." I slowly stood up and raised my hands.

"Ew-kay, that's my cue to leave." Then I headed to the back room in the magic shop.


	23. Hot temptations

Out on patrol with Buffy, we quickly found the graves of newly turned vampires and I couldn't help but mentally chuckle when Buffy was on top of a crypt doing a Batman crouch. But it was really cool when she jumped off and took out a vampire before it could even get its head above ground. When the second one came up, it leapt at me and I roundhouse kicked it, making it roll back towards Buffy. She got in a few punches, then kicked it. Before the vampire could come back though, Riley jumped in.

"Riley?" Buffy looked confused. _'Okay, so she didn't invite him to patrol....'_ I thought.

"Buffy. What are you doing here?" He smiled at the Slayer.

"My job." She replied.

"Well, I just thought you were in the north sector."

"Watch out!" Buffy called, but Riley pretty much handled the vampire like it was nothing. "Never mind." When a third vampire was rising, Buffy and I got ready to attack, but Spike tackled it out of nowhere. "Why do I even bother to show up?"

"Because the Slayer jig is a calling and you gotta...." I looked at her. "Wait-" I turned back.

"Spike, what are you doing here?" Buffy asked.

"Same reason as you and your Cub Scouts here, I wager." Spike replied while beating up the other vampire. "Wanted a spot of violence before bedtime." Then, the other vampire knocked Spike onto his ass with a well placed punch. The English undead stood up while wiping the blood from his nose and sniffing.

When the other vampire went to attack Spike, I pushed him out of the way while letting Buffy stake it. I would have gotten it myself, but she was looking a little antsy with her other kills getting interfered with. Spike glanced down at me before looking up at Buffy. She rolled her eyes and he furrowed his brows.

"What? I softened him up." Spike told Buffy while wiping more blood from his nose.

"You better keep out of my way, Spike. I'm not gonna take this much longer." Buffy glared at him while he was sucking the blood off his hand.

"And I should do what with my spare time? Sit at home knittin' cunning sweater sets?"

"Would it keep you out of my way?" Buffy tilted her head.

"She's right." Riley said while standing next to the Slayer. "You shouldn't be out here when she's patrolling." He put his hands into his pockets. Buffy gave him a look and my eyes widened a bit at her expression.

"Oh! I saw that." Spike pointed at the short blonde while taking a step closer. "Looks like neither boy is entirely welcome. You should take him home, Slayer, make him stay there." Spike then looked to Riley. "I got knittin' needles he can borrow." He smirked.

"Shut up, blood breath." I said while pushing him back a bit.

"Let me guess, you're not welcomed either?"

"No, I was patrolling _with_ Buffy." I crossed my arms.

"Oh, is it a girls' night out?" Spike raised his brows.

"Spike, I just saw you taste your own nose blood. You know what? I'm too grossed out to hear anything you have to say. Go home." Buffy then walked away and I saw the attitude growing on her face. Riley followed after, but I just stood there. I think I might have been in a little shock- I mean, Buffy usually invited Riley to patrol with her. Why was she upset about him showing up now?

"It's blood. It's what I do." Spike shouted as they left. "Hey, isn't a dog supposed to follow its master?" The vampire pointed in the direction Buffy and Riley had gone.

"I'm not a dog." I said while staring their way. "Just....letting them have space." Walking away in another direction, I didn't get far until I heard Spike talking. I was maybe only a few feet away and he seemed to have forgotten I was there.

"I will know your blood, Slayer." He said and I turned back around while putting my hands on my hips. "I will make your neck my chalice....and drink deep." Spike wiped the blood from his nose again while sniffing. He turned and took a few steps, but just as I was about to say something, he disappeared into the ground. "Ow!" I heard him through my laughter.

"You idiot!" I had to bend over and put my hands onto my knees. "Oh my- that was fucking _gold_!" Walking over to the hole for a new grave, I looked down. "That was so poetic, and your fall was just the pinnacle of majesty."

"Shut up!"

~

"It seems the plans worked perfectly." Pops said as he applied varnish to the planks of wood Xander was cutting with a rotary saw.

"Yeah, blueprints. Not a bad idea." Xander turned off the saw before messing with his tools. "That and getting straight, _'Measure twice, cut once'._ You know, for the longest time, I had it backwards. Messy."

"Well, I must say, I'm very impressed." Pops pulled his face mask off while Xander put the cut wood onto the shelf he was building.

"Yeah, carpentry is pretty cool." Xander replied. Then, there was knocking at the front door. Tara was messing with her tarot cards while Anya was fussing over the placement of the monkey head next to the Styx water. It turned out to be Willow and Buffy at the door.

"Oh, I feel like a witch in a magic shop!" Willow said. "Ooh." She picked up a jar. "Are these real newt eyes?"

"Well, uh, no. Too rich for my blood, I'm afraid." Pops waved at the jar with a towel in his hand. "No, those are salamander eyes. It's the cataracts which gives them their newt-like appearance." Willow looked at him. "They're really equally effective though. It's just a matter of overcoming snobbery." Pops added while walking away.

"I'm tellin' you, Giles. You gotta set up a blind taste test and prove once and for all that generic amphibian eyeballs are just as good." Xander said while working on the shelf.

"I don't know. If you ask me, the newt name still means something." Willow set down the jar while Buffy put her bag down onto the front counter.

"Ready to train?" Pops asked Buffy.

"You betcha."

"Shall we then?" Giles tossed the rag to the side.

"We shall then." Buffy, Pops, and Xander all went into the back where they had set up a training room. Hopping off of the stairs, I went to take a closer look at the shelf being built. It was nice, looked sturdy enough, and seemed to have quite craftsmanship behind it. _'Xander is good at this....'_

"Hey, Aud!" Anya called. Looking up, I saw her pointing to a box.

"Where do you want it?"

"Up there." She pointed to the loft. Nodding, I walked over and picked it up. "You know, I was human before I was a demon."

"Kind of figured." I grinned while walking to the stairs. "Plus, I heard all about you-well, a lot about you-from the guys." Glancing back at her, I gave a short nod. "Quite a way you've come from being a vengeance demon. You seem very....human. Quirky, but human." That made her smile.

"Finally, someone who notices." She followed me up the stairs and when I set the box down, she began to unpack its contents. "Anyways, what I was getting at earlier was that I had a different name when I was human." I raised a brow at Anya.

"Really? What was it?"

"Aud." There was a silent pause.

"I guess we have something else in common." I smirked.

~

"Poor Riley." Willow sighed. Apparently, Riley was still messed up from the stuff Professor Walsh did to him in the Initiative.

"Could he simply have gone back to his apartment?" Pops asked while taking off his glasses and scratching his forehead.

"No. He's not at the apartment. He's not at the gym. He's not at the library. He's gone somewhere where he doesn't want to found." Buffy said.

"So, basically, he's gone AWOL." Anya looked at Buffy.

"Basically exactly." She agreed.

"Poor Buffy." Willow looked down at the table.

"I could track him if you wanted me to...." I shrugged.

"Maybe he just needs time alone." Xander spoke up. "Like, I had this friend once who really liked this girl, and he got all worried that maybe she didn't like him back, and maybe that made him act like a total jerk." Buffy gave Xander a look. "Maybe Riley reminds me of that friend."

"What are you talking about?" Willow asked and Xander shrugged.

"Then again, maybe not. Maybe he just wants attention."

"Well, here's a hot tip. If you want attention, be there so people can give it to you." Buffy crossed her arms.

"I care about you, Xander." Anya smiled.

"Thanks."

"Don't be insecure." She shook her head.

"Thanks. I won't."

"'Cause I also have this 'friend', and I have it on really good authority that she really likes that guy, your friend, and by the by, my friend-"

"You guys, enough!" Buffy cut Anya off. "Okay, Riley is in real danger here." She dropped her hands to her sides and sighed. "Anya, Xander, why don't you guys check the docks?"

"Aye, aye." Xander nodded before rising to his feet with Anya following suit.

"Tara and I can scope out the burned-out school. Riley hid there once. Maybe he feels it's homey or something." Willow suggested as Xander and Anya left.

"Homey." Buffy said. "You know what else he might find homey in a dank, unpleasant, evil sort of way? The Initiative caves, but I don't know them too well." She looked at Pops as he sat down with a mug of coffee.

"We do have an associate who knows those caves like the back of his melanin-deprived hand." Pops took a drink.

"Oh, I so don't want to deal with Spike right now." Buffy gave a strained smile. "The guy is really starting to bug me in that special, _'I wanna shove something wooden through his heart'_ kind of way."

"He does seem extra twitchy lately." Willow said. "Maybe the whole 'not killing' is gettin' to him."

"Plus, hangin' out all day in that moldy crypt. You just know he's doing something nasty." Buffy nodded.

"If you don't want to deal with him, I can." I offered. "I can act as a mediator since I'm used to people buggin' me." Buffy gave a look, then slowly nodded. _'Also because dealing with Spike doesn't seem to bother me that much, it just annoys me a little.'_

"That could work. Then I wouldn't have to touch him." She made a face like even the slightest bit of contact with Spike would contaminate her with something.

~

At Spike's crypt, I busted the door open before just walking in. He was sitting on top of one of those graves, cross-legged, and picking at his nail polish.

"I've got a proposition for you." I said while walking in with Buffy following.

"Funny." He hopped off of the grave and stood right in front of me. "I've got a proposition for you-what about knocking? Seems only fair since we vamps can't enter your flat without an invite," Spike looked down at me. Pulling some cash from my pocket, I gained his full attention. "you could at least- Say, look at those pretty pieces of paper."

"Riley's sick with some Initiative thing, and he's missing." I looked up at the vampire. "He might be in the caves. You find him, bring him to the fourth floor of the hospital. Their doctors get to him in time, you get the cash." I said what Buffy had told me to on the way here. She sort of coached me on how to do negotiations since I usually didn't have to. Normally, I would just flash my fangs and claws, but Spike wasn't persuaded to help by that-just money.

"Oh, dear. Is the enormous hall monitor sick? Tell me, is he gonna die." Spike looked at Buffy.

"He is not the only person that can die." Grabbing him by the front of his shirt, I kicked his legs out from under him and made him get on his knees. "Got it?" I questioned as he now looked up at me. He clenched his jaw while smirking.

"Hey, I'm just sayin', if it's really that important to you, I think I'll get half now." Spike said and I let his shirt go.

"You get half now and you could just take it and leave. I'm not stupid." Unfolding the money, I grabbed a couple bills. "You can have 10% now, you'll only get the other 90% if you do what I asked." Smacking the bills to his chest, I walked away. Following Buffy out, I sighed once I was in the cemetery. "This is why I don't like money. So many problems with it."

"No, you did really good." Buffy said. Looking at her, I raised a brow.

"Really?"

"Really." She nodded. "I especially liked the part when you knocked him down."

"Thanks." I smiled. "I just felt like I had to intimidate him somehow."

~

"Buffy?" I said while answering my phone. "Didn't I just see you?"

"Yeah. Look, Aud, I'm gonna need your nose." Buffy said.

"Nose?" I heard someone in the background say.

"Sure, no problem. Where are you?"

"The hospital."

"All right, be there in a few." Putting my phone back into my pocket, I put my shoes on and headed out. Once I found Buffy, I put my hands onto my hips. "So, who am I tracking now?"

"Spike." Buffy told me while crossing her arms. "We need to find him quickly, he took Riley's doctor and is trying to get the chip out of his head." She looked me in the eye. "He's with Harmony, do you think you can find him?" I paused. _'That's the vampire with the perfume problem....'_

"Of course. I need a starting point, though. Do you know a place he recently was?"

"This way." Buffy jerked her head to the side and led em down the hall. I didn't even have to go all the way to the room before I picked up Spike's scent. With my nose metaphorically to the ground, I followed the scent out of the hospital and to the college. Furrowing my brows, it became a bit more difficult to track the vampire since so many other scents were also present. But when I did find the undead asshole, I gave myself a mental pat on the back. Vampires are one of the hardest demon species to track since they barely had a scent-unless they are like Harmony and wear perfume.

"Slayer!" Spike hopped off of the operating table and Harmony went next to him while holding a loaded crossbow. There was a bit of a stare down as we spread out and the doctor got out of the way. "Suit up, Harm." The bleached blonde said to the other vampire as his face changed. Hers did too, and I was hoping to a higher power that I wouldn't go into a sneezing fit because of her now of all times.

"Stay here." Buffy made the doctor sit down as he was trying to escape. "We're gonna need you."

"Buffy. I swear I was just thinking of you. I wanted to tell you the great news." Spike smirked. "My head's all clear now. No more bug-zapper in my noggin."

"Means I can kill you." Buffy tilted her head to the side.

"You get to try." It went quiet again, then Harmony shot Riley in the leg with the arrow.

"Oops." She said as Riley didn't even flinch. He just glanced down at it before he went at her as Buffy went at Spike. That was when I began to sneeze.... I turned around to try and hide the sneezing, but on a little fit, my tail popped out and smacked Buffy.

"Buff-Achoo!" I sneezed and my tail stuck straight out. "Sorry about-achoo!-that."

"Aud! Look out!" Buffy cried as I heard a growling behind me. Turning, I looked just in time to see Spike jumping off of the operating table. He tackled me while I was still sneezing, and I wasn't quick enough to stop him from going for my neck. He reared back, howling in pain while holding his head. Buffy came over and tossed him off of me while handing my a towel to breathe through to filter out Harmony's perfume.

"Thank-achoo!" Getting to my feet, I went into another fit of sneezes. There was a series of crashes, and I heard Buffy shout.

"Riley!" Buffy went to him, and I was trying my best to get my sneezing to cease. "Oh, God. Doctor! Doctor, we need you now!" The Slayer cried, and I saw Spike and Harmony making their escape.

"Stop!" I yelled while holding the towel to my face and running after them. But due to my sneezing, I couldn't follow them.


	24. Coming over you

"Hey, guys!" I said while walking out of the training room in the Magic Box to see Buffy, Willow, Dawn, and Riley were all in the shop now. "What did I miss while the old man made me clean up weapons?" I gave a direct look to Pops.

"Glowing balls of paranormal origin." Willow pointed at the yellow ball in Pops's hands.

"Huh...."

"You can't patrol. Buffy said." Dawn looked at the guys while I walked over to get a closer look at the shiny sphere.

"No. I didn't." Buffy shook her head.

"Yeah, remember? You said it'd be easier if you didn't have to look out for anybody."

"Well, I wasn't talking about Riley." Buffy smiled nervously.

"Don't worry about it." The ex-commando waved a hand while smiling.

"Oh, she just said you look even cuter when you're all weak and kitten-y, and she'd better go solo or you'd get hurt." Dawn kept going. "So, welcome to the club. She'll never let me go either." There was a silent pause from everyone as we sort of just looked around at each other. "What? What?"

"Giles, you got the danger room set up out back?" Riley asked Pops. "I'm feelin' the need for a little physical rehab about now." He rubbed his hands together and began to walk to the back when Pops nodded.

"Of course. Yes. If any customers do-"

"On it." Willow said while taking the glowing ball from Giles before he followed Riley.

"Dawn, we're going." Buffy stood up.

"Buffy, wait." Willow got the blonde's attention. "Go easy on her."

"Why?"

"I can't help it. I just have all this involuntary empathy for Dawn 'cause she's, you know, a big spaz."

"Here, I'll put this somewhere safe and out of the way." I said while taking the yellow sphere from Willow and walking away before I would be awkwardly standing in the background....again. After putting it up, I told Pops where I had set it, then went out to restock the food at home. Once I had done that, I decided to make dinner for when Pops got home from the Magic Box. Only....when the time came for him to be home, he wasn't. Instead, I got a call.

"Aud, I'm sorry, but, uh, I need your help."

"What is it?" I shot off the couch, already slipping into my shoes when Pops said _'need'_.

"The magic shop, i-it's extremely busy and I don't have enough hands." I then noticed the chaos of noise in the background was people talking and a cash register ringing.

"I'm on my way over." I said while smiling as I walked outside. "Be there in a few." Pops thanked me and hung up. Putting my phone into my pocket, I slipped my jacket on. Suddenly, I caught the scent of cigarette smoke. "Spike." I growled while dragging him out from behind a brick column on the porch.

"Hi, Aud." He said while putting out his cancer stick.

"What the Hell are you doing here?" I said before punching him in the face. "That was for trying to bite me, by the way."

"Ow!" Spike checked to see if his nose was bleeding before he opened his mouth. "Look-"

"Five words or less, I'm in a hurry." Crossing my arms, I put more weight on one of my feet.

"Out...." He raised his pinkie. "For...." His ring finger went up. "A...." The middle finger followed. "Walk...." Then the pointer finger as he counted his words. Spike raised his hand again with his thumb and pinkie up. "Bitch."

"Yeah, sure. Out for a walk at night _here?_ " I waved a hand to gesture to our surroundings. With the location of Pops's house and it's surroundings, his excuse was an obvious lie. "I told you, Spike. I'm in a hurry."

"On your merry way then." He scoffed. "You know, contrary to one's self-involved world views, your place happens to be directly between...." Spike pointed, then realized where exactly it was we were standing. "parts....and-and other parts of this town. This was just a shortcut. And I would pass by in the day, but I feel I'm outgrowing my whole _'burst into flames'_ phase." Spike explained and I openly looked at him like he was stupid.

"Uh-huh, whatever. I gotta go, I don't have time for this." I made to walk away, but the vampire stopped me.

"Yeah, okay. Let me guess. You won't kill me? Ooh." I rolled my eyes at him. "The whole _'crowd-pleasing threats and swagger_ ' routine. Outstandingly original. You know, I'm just passing through." He point behind himself. "Satisfied?" Spike asked and stepped back as if to leave, but then came right back. "You know," He chuckled. "I really hope so 'cause God knows you need some satisfaction in life....besides eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

"Excuse me?" I crossed my arms again. _'The Hell is wrong with PB &J's?!'_

"And-and I never liked you anyway, and-and you have stupid hair."

"Oh, yeah? Well, you have stupid hair, too, Captain Peroxide!" I shouted as Spike finally left. Glancing at the ground, I saw multiple cigarette butts on the ground. Raising my brow, I sighed. _'Yeah, totally out for a walk.'_ Looking back at the house, I then went to the Magic Box to help out with the overflow of people.

~

"Would someone please rip that bloody bell off its hinges?" Pops asked as we were all slouched in chairs around the table.

"Would that involve moving?" Xander looked over.

"My feet are numb." Willow said.

"I'll see your numbness and I'll raise you a lower-back pain." Xander pointed at the redheaded witch.

"Did you know that this bench is actually comfortable?" I asked while laying on the benches under the table.

"I think I liked it better when demons would just crash in here and tear the place apart." Pops said. "Just seemed so much simpler."

"You're out of crystal balls." Anya said while counting the money in the register. "Those babies are really popular with the amateurs. Better restock and raise the price by 10%. Make it 15."

"Anya-"

"Your cash register looks like squirrels nest in it."

"Anya-"

"And the Hand of Glory packs some serious raw power." The ex-demon kept going. "Better institute a 7-day background check for-"

"Anya!" Pops raised his voice and the woman went quiet. "Would you like a job?"

"Okay." She began to smile.

"Good. Then we can talk shop tomorrow."

"Okay....Boss." She was grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, any word from Buffy on how her spell went?" Willow asked.

"She said it didn't work. Now she's off investigating whoever left the Dagon Sphere behind."

"You're not worried about the Slaymaster General, are you, Big _'G'_?" Xander questioned.

"No, no." Pops replied. "Just hope she isn't doing anything too rash."

"It's Buffy." I said. "She pretty much breathes _'rash_ '." I mumbled.


	25. And now you're satisfied

"But we just helped her move this stuff in a few days ago...." Anya complained as we were packing up the dorm room. "And it was fun." She added when Buffy walked in.

"People help each other out, Anya." Pops told the ex-demon. I didn't hear the rest of what he had said since I was carrying a stack of boxes out.

"Oh, let me help you with that, miss." I heard a voice say just before the top boxes lifted up. "Moving out or switching rooms?" The man asked me while setting down the boxes.

"Neither. I'm helping out a friend." I said while putting the remaining box I had back onto the stack. _'I could have done that myself....'_ I mentally sighed.

"How very kind of you. Do you go to school here?" He asked while smiling and putting his hands into his pockets. _'The last time a guy had talked to me with this body language and these questions was....that party at Lowell House.'_

"No." I answered. "You?" _'Wait, what had Spike said it meant again....? Come on, Aud, think!'_

"Yeah. The name's Marcus." He held out his hand for me to shake.

"Aud." I shook his hand. _'Oh, yeah! He said it was flirting-charm the lass to get some ass.'_

"What's odd?" He raised a brow while still smiling. _'Wait, he also said it hurt their ego if I say 'ew'....which means that inadvertently hurts their feelings.'_

"No, my name. It's A-U-D, Aud." Putting my hands into the front pockets on my pants, I sort of shifted on my feet. _'Shit, what do I do? Human feelings are so fragile....how do I say I'm not interested_ _without being rude?'_

"Well, nice to meet you, A-U-D Aud." He chuckled. _'Oh, you think you're so funny don't you?'_ I mentally narrowed my eyes. _'No! Bad, Aud! Be nice to the man.'_

"Oh, who's your friend, Aud?" Willow asked after she set down a box.

"He's not my friend, we just met, but his name is Marcus." I glanced at Willow before looking back to the tall, brunette male with honey colored eyes.

"Well, all friendships start somewhere." He said while grinning and putting his hands back into his pockets.

"I guess." I furrowed my brows while thinking about it. _'He is right.... Hey, maybe he does just want to be friends?'_

"Oh, can you start taking stuff down to the car? Tara could use some help." Willow looked at me.

"Sure." I nodded while picking up a stack of boxes.

"Here, I can help." Marcus picked up a few boxes and stepped to the side. "Mind leading the way?"

"This way." I said. "I guess...." I mumbled lowly.

"So, do you live around here?"

"I live in Sunnydale, if that's what you mean." Replying, I glanced back to make sure the guy hadn't taken off with the boxes. He chuckled and kept following me.

"I guess that could count as near if you consider the size of the world." He paused. "Do you go to school someplace else?" Marcus asked and I looked at him.

"No." Answering, I headed out of the dorm house. I was walking at a fairly quick pace- the sooner the boxes got to the car, the sooner I could take a lunch break. _'What should I even have? Oh, what if I went out and grabbed something for everybody?'_

"Was that redhead the friend you are helping?" Marcus glanced at me.

"No." I kept my replies short, I still didn't know this man's intentions. If he wanted to be friends, that's fine, anything else would be a problem.

"Do you come to campus a lot?"

"Sort of."

"Okay...." He cleared his throat. "Hey, maybe you could, I don't know, join me at a party or something? I know this frat house that really knows how to throw one." At the car, I stuck to boxes in the back and crossed my arms while looking at Marcus.

"Are you asking me out on a date or something?" I furrowed my brows while narrowing my eyes.

"Maybe. What would you say if I said yes?" He smirked a little.

"I'd say no. I'm not into the whole dating thing."

"Then what if I said as friends?"

"I don't know you well enough. You could be a psycho for all I know." I told him while taking the boxes from him and putting them into the car.

"That's the point of the party-to get to know me better. It'll be in a public place, so you should have no worries." Marcus sort of shrugged while putting his thumbs into his pockets. There was a quiet pause as I thought it over.

"I guess I'll think about it." I said and he grinned.

"Cool, here's my number if you make up your mind and wish to share your decision." He chuckled while pulling out a pen from his back pocket and grabbed my hand. Marcus wrote his digits on the back of my hand in black ink, which really stuck out on my ivory skin.

~

"Thank you for coming. We value your patronage." Anya was smiling as she handed the customer their bag. "Please come again for more purchases!" She called as they walked away.

"Could we perhaps be a little less effusive, Anya?" Pops questioned while setting a box onto the front counter. "We don't want to frighten the people."

"I'm just so excited. They come in. I help them. They give us money in exchange for goods. You give me money for working for you." Anya told the older man as he opened the box. "I have a place in the world now. I'm part of the system. I'm a workin' gal."

"Yes. Well, why don't you start organizing the shipping orders?" Pops asked as I was at the table working on a name tag. The little, black, sticker letters were a little tricky with how they stuck to my fingers, but I managed it. The reason behind why I was making a name tag was due to my name. Whenever Pops called for my assistance, or Anya, the customers thought they themselves were being called 'odd'. Plus, when I was helping people in the store and they tried to have a small conversation with me, they thought I was saying something was odd instead of my name being Aud.

"Oh, no. That's boring. I just want to do the money parts." The ex-demon stated while counting the money in the cash register. Xander and Buffy had walked in while I was cleaning up the sticker mess and putting the name tag on to try it out.

"So, any breakthroughs on the identity of Miss Congeniality?" Buffy asked.

"Well, I've narrowed it down some." Pops replied and I couldn't help but give him a look before glancing at all the books on the table in front of me.

"Your definition of narrow is impressively wide." Buffy sat down next to me.

"Well, you didn't give me much to go on. She-she looks human, so the mug shots aren't any use, and-and, uh....you can't be more specific about what she's like?"

"She was kind of like Cordelia, actually." Buffy looked at Pops. _'Who?'_ "I'm pretty sure she dyes her hair." She nodded.

"Ah, yes, that one, of course. Our work is done." Giles said sarcastically.

"There must be something on her."

"The answer is somewhere here. It's right in front of us, and we're too blind to see it." Xander said as he came over and leaned on the table. "I'm helping. I'm reading. I'm quiet." The human male sat down while grabbing a book as Pops went up to the loft with the box.

"Hey, Xander?" I looked at him while putting my cheek onto my knuckles and my elbow onto the table.

"What?" He glanced up at me.

"You're a guy, right?" Xander looked around and nodded.

"Last time I checked, yeah."

"What's it mean when a guy invites you to a party-but says it's just to get to know each other better to be friends-and gives you his number?" He sort of just stared at me, and so did Buffy.

"Than I'm attractive to even the same gender. Great, I will be chased by all demons now." He joked. "Nah, just kidding. It means the dude's interested." He then shrugged.

"Interested?" I raised a brow.

"No, you dummy." Buffy gently pushed Xander's shoulder before looking at me. "How'd he give you his number?" I raised my hand to show her the ink digits. "Okay, no, he's interested."

"In what?" My brows furrowed.

"You, duh."

"Yeah, it'd be more questionable if he had just written it on paper." Xander nodded.

"So....he doesn't just want to be friends?" I asked. _'They are being a bit confusing....maybe I should have asked Spike. Nah-that asshole probably wouldn't even know.'_ Then, I re-thought about it. _'Well, he did know with that other guy....'_

"No. Might start out that way, but he may ask you out on a real date." Buffy smiled. "What's his name?"

"Marcus." My face sort of cringed at the thought that the man from college might want to date me.

"What's wrong with Marcus?" Buffy asked when she noticed my face.

"Nothing-that I know of, anyways. I just find couples and dating disgusting." She looked at me and something seemed to dawn on her face.

"Is that why you don't patrol with Riley and me?"

"Yes. But it's nothing personal, I promise. I just....I just never really thought that stuff was something I'd ever do since I find it repulsive." I said while grabbing a book.

"Man, what did Giles do to you? Did he tell you boys were the devil or something?" Xander asked.

"No, but it's not only heterosexual couples I find gross. All things couple." Raising the book in my hand, I kind of gave a sheepish grin. "Wanna get to researching now?"

"Sure." And then the subject was dropped. I was beginning to feel a bit awkward since both Buffy and Xander were in a relationship. Honestly, I didn't think they were gross, just the things they did with Riley and Anya.

"So, what'd you get her?" Buffy asked.

"Huh?"

"Tara. You said you got a present already."

"Yeah, that was a tangled web of lies, sweetie. I'm not really sure what kind of thing she'd-I mean, I don't really know her that well." Xander replied.

"I know." Buffy nodded.

"I mean, she's nice."

"Yeah. Yeah, nice. Nice....I-it's just-I sort of-"

"I don't necessarily get her, but she's real nice."

"Yeah. There's just that thing." Buffy said with a bit of an uncertain tone.

"That thing." Xander pointed.

"That thing of not understanding-"

"Half of what she says?"

"As for example-but she's super nice." Buffy said again.

"You betcha." Xander smiled.

"Think there'll be a lot of Wiccas there, heavy Wiccan crowd?" Buffy asked.

"Well, that's sort of her deal. Her and Willow are all Wiccie. Swingin' with the Wiccan lifestyle."

"Which is cool."

"Oh, yeah." Xander nodded.

"I just hope we fit in, not awkward."

"As far as I know, Tara doesn't have many friends. Which, I don't understand why because she's pretty cool." I said. "Willow, too." I smiled. "Those two are like one of those badass duos in the movies."

"Yeah, with Willow, it's like she's got this whole new thing in her life, but she's still Willow, So I can always figure her out." Xander waved his hand. "But Tara, I just know she likes Willow, and she already has one of those."

"I have a present-buying headache." Buffy groaned while shutting the book in front of her. "Tara's damn birthday is just one too many things for me to worry about."

"Relax. You should take a few minutes. Train or stretch out." Xander looked at Buffy. "You should do somethin' to work off the tension."

"That sounds pretty good, actually." Said while closing the book. "I've been either standing or sitting in the same place for hours the past few days." Looking up, I smiled at Buffy. "Wanna train a bit?"

"Nah, you go ahead. I gotta find the crazy lady." She tapped the books. "Wait, what do you mean you've been in the same place for hours?"

"Oh, I made a painting for Tara." I replied while standing up. "She likes tarot cards, so I painted the Temperance card with Willow as the angel. Thought she might like it." Shrugging, I heard Buffy groan again as I went to the back room.

Pulling off my hoodie, I tossed it onto the couch and pulled on a pair of fingerless gloves. Stretching out, I walked to the punching bag to start out. Later that night, Pops held a Scooby meeting.

"Hey. Am I late? Did I miss any exposition?" Willow asked while hurrying in.

"No, no, no. No, nothing earth-shattering to relate. I just had a few thoughts and wanted to make sure that we were on the same page." Pops said while leaning on the back of a chair.

"Can I buy one of these?" Dawn was holding open a book while standing next to a bookshelf.

"No." Buffy answered.

"With my own money?"

"I let you come. Now sit down and look studious." Buffy looked at Dawn as she closed the book and came to sit down.

"First of all, I wanted to talk to you about safety. Um, now this creature could be-"

"Will be." Buffy interrupted.

"Ah, will be coming after Buffy and possibly all of us." Pops sat down. "Now, I may have a lead on this monk that Buffy spoke with. I, uh-there are a few orders that I've read up on-" Giles paused for a second. "I'm-I'm sorry, where was I?" Pops took off his glasses.

"The monk." Buffy said.

"Yes, um, I'd like us all to start looking at these orders. It's possible whichever one this monk belonged to was wiped out entirely." Pops continued. After a while though, Buffy and I went to the back training room. Since I was half-demon, I could handle hand-to-hand combat training with her without having to wear all the padding and worry about breaking something.

Buffy and I-at the moment-were stretching out first while the rest of the gang was getting to the research. Once the stretching was out of the way, Buffy wanted to practice some of her back handed strikes. She hit the punching bag while I held it still, and she'd alternate between fists.

"Buffy...." I mumbled while smelling something strange entering the room. She seemed to sense it too because she paused to turn around and look. There was nothing there. We sort of looked at each other before turning back. Just as we were about to return to training, Buffy spun around and seemed to grab something in the air before being taken to the ground. "Buffy?"

"Giles! There's....something in here!" The Slayer shouted just as I felt arms wrap around me from behind.

"Hey!" I shouted before jumping back. "Get off me!" Growling, I rammed backwards into the brick wall. Buffy managed to get to her feet as I got the demon off my back. Spinning around, I couldn't really tell where it was now.

Taking a few steps back, I was tackled to the ground and it looked like Buffy had been grabbed as she seemed to struggle against nothing. I could feel the demon, smell it even, but I couldn't see it. So, making a guess, I pulled my fist back to strike where I thought the head might be. Before I could hit it, though, the demon was suddenly off of me and Buffy was running out of the room as I got to my feet.

"Take care of these ones, there's more in here!" She quickly said before going to the others' rescue.

"Good thing I can handle myself." I smirked while letting my tail, teeth claws, and ears grow out.

"You're welcome." I heard a voice say. Furrowing my brows, I looked around but still saw nothing. Ignoring it as my ears twitched, I punched the demon I heard running at me. I heard it thud as it hit the ground and waited as the demon got back up.

Also, for some reason, I could hear another fight going on behind me despite not being able to see anything. _'Are two of the demons fighting each other?'_ I thought while kicking a demon. _'Why would_ _they do that?'_ There was clattering and I turned to see weapons on the rack fall before I heard the hiss of a blade going through the air.

I couldn't think about it too much since the demon I was fighting had made a counterattack. Turning back around, I caught their wrist before they could strike me and gave a headbutt. Not letting go of the demon, I didn't want to lose it again and used my free hand tp grab its throat and I squeezed until I heard the bones in its neck cracking.

A hand landed on my shoulder and I flipped the demon over my back while pinning it to the ground. Rearing back a fist, I punched and suddenly I could see the demon I was straddling.

"Ow! What the bloody Hell was that for? I was just trying to help."

"Spike?" I furrowed my brows. "What the Hell are you doing here?"

"Like I said, trying to help. And that'll be the last time I do." He grumbled as I helped him to his feet.

"Heh, my bad." I nervously grinned while scratching the back of my head. "Wait, the others!" I hurried out of the training and saw Buffy's breaking a demon's neck on the stairs.

"What in God's name is that?" The man on the ground asked while looking at the dead demon.

"Lei-Ach demon. Fun little buggers." Spike said as he walked up next to me. "Big with the marrow sucking."

"I don't understand."

"I'm not sure I do, either." Buffy said while crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry." Tara said as she was sitting on the ground with her back against the front counter. "I'm s-s-so sorry." Her eyes were watering up. "I was-I was trying to hide." She looked up at Willow as she walked towards her. "I didn't want you to see....what I am." Willow got on her knees while looking at Tara with confusion.

"Tara....what?"

"What do you mean what you are?" Buffy asked while taking a step closer.

"Demon." The man-Tara's father-said. "The women in our family....have demon in them." We all glanced at Tara, then to Maclay. "Her mother had it. That's where the magic comes from." Tara looked down. "We came to take her home before-" He cut off. "Well, before things like this started happening." He gestured to the dead demon.

"You cast a spell on us to keep us from seeing your demon side." Pops walked over while taking off his glasses. "That's why we couldn't see our attackers."

"Nearly got us killed." Buffy looked back at her sister.

"I'll go. I'm very sorry." Tara quickly got to her feet.

"The camper's outside." Maclay said.

"Wait! Go?" Willow grabbed Tara's arm. "Sh-she just did a spell that went wrong. It-it was just a mistake." Willow looked around as tears fell from Tara's eyes.

"It's not the point, and it's not your concern. She belongs with us. We know how to control her....problem."

"Problem?" I crossed my arms as my tail twitched. "How could you just call it a _'problem'_?" Tara's father glared at me.

"Tara, look at me." Willow was beginning to cry now as well. "I trusted you more than anyone in my life. Was all that just a lie?"

"No."

"Do you wanna leave?"

"It's not your decision, young lady." Maclay said.

"I know that!" Willow raised her voice at him. "Do you wanna leave?" She asked Tara again. The girl shook her head while crying, looking at Willow with so much emotion in her eyes.

"You're going to do what's right, Tara." Maclay didn't seem happy. "Now I'm taking you out of here before somebody does get killed. The girl belongs with her family. I hope that's clear to the rest of you." He stated.

"It is." I said while standing between Tara and her biological family. Crossing my arms, I looked at Buffy and she nodded.

"You want her, Mr. Maclay? You can go ahead and take her. You just gotta go through me." Buffy said as she turned around to face the man.

"What?"

"You heard me." Buffy had her hands on her hips. "You wanna take Tara out of here against her will?"

"You gotta come through us." I made sure my fangs and tail were visible to the man.

"And me." Dawn said while standing on the other side of Buffy with her arms crossed.

"Is this a joke?" Maclay walked towards us. "I'm not gonna be threatened my two little girls and a bald lemur."

"You don't wanna mess with us." Dawn told him while I growled.

"She's a hair-puller." Buffy gestured to her sister with her head.

"And I got quite a nasty bite." I glared.

"And....you're not just dealing with....two little girls and a lemur." Pops stood behind us. _'Okay, didn't have to call me a lemur, Pops.'_

"You're dealing with all of us." Xander said.

"'Cept me." Spike popped off.

"'Cept Spike." Xander followed up.

"I don't care what happens." The vampire added.

"This is insane. You people have no right to interfere with Tara's affairs. _We_ are her blood kin!" He looked at us. "Who the Hell are you?"

"We're family." Buffy said without wavering.

"Dad...." Tara's brother spoke up. "You gonna let 'em just-" He cut himself off while walking down the steps. "Tara, if you don't get in that car, I swear by God, I will beat you down." Danny pointed at her while issuing the threat.

"And I swear by your full and manly beard, you're gonna break something trying." Xander said.

"Well, I hope you'll all be happy hanging out with a disgusting demon." The blonde girl on Maclay's side stepped up.

"Excuse me. What kind?" Anya asked while raising her hand.

"What?"

"What kind of demon is she? There's a lot of different kinds. Some are very, very evil, and some have been considered to be useful members of society." Anya had a point....

"Well, I-I-" The woman didn't answer the question. "What does it matter?"

"Evil is evil." Maclay glared.

"Well, let's just narrow it down." Anya insisted.

"How do you even know she's a demon?" I shifted on my feet. "I haven't smelt anything demonic on her."

"O~h...." Spike spoke up. "Why don't I make this simple?" We all turned around and watched as Spike walked up to Tara and tapped her on the shoulder. When she turned to look, he clocked her in the face.

"Ow!" They both said and I smirked since the vampire was in pain.

"Hey!" Willow looked angry, then it dawned on her. "Hey!" She looked from Spike to Tara.

"He hit my nose." Tara said as she was holding her nose.

"And it hurt-uh, him, I mean." Willow held Tara's arms. The woman looked up, realizing what that meant.

"And that only works on humans." Buffy said.

"There's no demon in there." Spike stated. "That's just a family legend. Am I right? Just a bit of a spin to keep the ladies in line?" Maclay and Donny averted eye contact while having these looks on their faces. "Ha. You're a piece of work. I like you."

"Shut up, blood breath." I shot him a glare.

"I'm not a demon." Tara was still crying, but from joy now.

"You're not a demon." Willow shook her head while smiling.

"He hurt my nose." Tara said.

"Oh." Willow made a face.

"Yeah. You're welcome." Spike said after scratching the back of his head. He walked away and we looked back to Maclay.

"Mr. Maclay, I would say your business here is finished." Pops told the man.

"Tara." Her father called her. "For 18 years, your family has taken care of you and supported you. If you want to turn your back-"

"Dad...." Tara cut him off. "Just go." Maclay looked at each of us, then walked towards the door.

"Magic." He simply said with a look of disgust before he left.

"Are you happy now?" The blonde asked and Tara smiled.

~

Since it was Tara's birthday party, and after all that had happened, I wore my best clothes for her. That included my work boots-the only pair of shoes I owned-a long-sleeved, black crop top with the _Slayer_ band logo across it, and the pair of jeans with the least rips and holes in them. The music playing at _The Bronze_ where the party was being held was great, and it was so much fun to hang out with the guys.

Tara loved the painting I had done for her, and I'm pretty sure she loved her birthday as well. She was smiling so much and laughing-the girl was like a little star with how much the happiness was glowing off of her.


	26. A twinkle in your eye

Due to unforeseen injuries Buffy had sustained during her last fight on patrol, Riley and the guys had to take over patrol. I would have gone with them, but Pops needed me at the shop with him. _'They'll be fine, Riley's an ex-commando and the guys have gone patrolling loads of times.'_ I kept telling myself in my head.

"Here's another one. Early 18th-century Slayer." Pops said while setting down his coffee. Him, Buffy, and I were all doing research on the previous Slayers. The older man then rose to his feet as we looked at him.

"Good. Let's hope she'll be more helpful than this last one." Buffy said. There were old books spread out everywhere as we were looking for some answers to Buffy's questions.

"Why? What does it say?" Pops asked as Buffy closed the book and dropped it on the counter.

"Same as all the others. Slayer called, blah, blah. Great protector, blah, blah. Scary battles, blah, blah. Oops! She's dead." Buffy replied. "Where are the details?"

"Yeah, can't they be more specific than just saying stuff like, _'killed in the line of duty'_?" I set the book I had down.

"Details?" Pops furrowed his brows while looking back into the book. "Well, it says this Slayer forged her own weapons." Giles brought the book over to let Buffy see it.

"Gotta love a gal with an anvil." She said. "But where are the details of the Slayer's last battle? You know, what made that fight special? Why did she lose?" Buffy's hands moved as she talked.

"You didn't lose last night, Buffy. You just-"

"Got really close." The Slayer finished for him.

"Which means you can still fight another day." I looked at her.

"Yeah, but I slipped up, Giles." Buffy looked from me to Pops. "I've been training harder than ever, and still I-" She cut herself off while looking away. "A-and there's nothing in any of these books to help me understand why. I mean, look. I realize that every Slayer comes with an expiration mark on the package. But I want mine to be a long time from now, like a Cheeto." Buffy sort of pouted. "If there were just a few good descriptions of what took out the other slayers, maybe it would help me to understand my mistake, to keep it from happening again."

"Yes, well, the, uh, the problem is...." Pops began as he took off his jacket. "that after a final battle, it, uh, it's difficult to get any, um-well, the-the Slayer's not-she's rather, uh-"

"It's okay to use the _'D'_ word, Giles."

"Dead, and hence, not very forthcoming."

"Well, why didn't the Watchers keep fuller accounts of it? The journals just stop." Buffy flipped some pages in an open book.

"I-I suppose if they're anything like me, they just found the whole subject too, uh...." Pops trailed off.

"Unseemly." Giles looked at Buffy. "Damn. Love ya, but you Watchers are such prigs sometimes."

"Painful, I was gonna say." There was a silent pause. "But you're right." Pops stood up. "The accounts of the final battles would be very helpful, but, uh, there's no one left to tell the tales."

"Well, not all of them." I said while looking up from a book. "But at least two."

"What?" Pops raised a brow.

"Spike." Buffy and I said at the same time.

~

"Ow! Wait. Not _'ow.'_ Are you feelin' all right, Slayer? This stuff usually hurts." Spike looked confused as Buffy was pinning the vampire's face to the concrete pillar. Buffy gave me a look and we switched spots. "Okay, ow, that hurts!"

"Don't even start, Spike." Buffy said.

"What do you want?" The bleached blonde licked his lips while smirking after I turned him around so his back was against the concrete.

"Slayers. You killed two of them." Spike furrowed his brows and looked at Buffy.

"I did."

"You're gonna show me how."

"Then what's lemur tail doin' here?" The vampire looked back at me.

"None of your business." I told him and he smirked again for some reason. The next thing I knew, we were at _The Bronze_ and Spike was drinking.

"You know, there are quite a few American beers that are highly underrated." He said after gulping down the last of his drink. "This, unfortunately, is not one of them." We were at a small table by the stairs, Buffy and Spike were sitting while I stood with my arms crossed next to them.

"Update, Spike. We're not here to discuss the fine choice of hops." Buffy said. "It's about two slayers."

"One in China during the Boxer Rebellion, the other in New York." I added.

"Both got killed by you." Buffy raised her hand while holding a wad of cash. When Spike reached for it, she pulled her hand back. "Tell the tale, you get the cash."

"Right." Buffy put away the green bills. "You want to learn all about how I bested the Slayers, and you want to learn fast." Spike looked at both of us before focusing on Buffy. "Right, then. We fought. I won. The end. Pay up."

"That's not what I-"

"What did you want, eh?" He cut her off. "A quick demo? A blow-for-blow description you can map out and memorize?" Spike scoffed. "It's not about the moves, love. And since I agreed to your little proposition, we're gonna do this my way. Wings." He said and leaned back a bit.

"What?" Buffy asked.

"Spicy buffalo wings. Order me up a plate. I'm feelin' peckish." Buffy sighed and turned in her chair.

"Excuse-" She stopped when she raised her hand to catch the worker's attention and held her injured side.

"As I thought earlier-some nasty thing got a taste of you." Spike smirked. Slamming my hand onto the table, I gave a low warning growl as my nails sharpened into claws. The vampire looked at them as Buffy turned back around.

"Don't get too excited. I'm fine."

"Oh, right. Stuck in a dark corner with a creature you loathe, diggin' up past uglies 'cause you're _'fine.'_ " Spike looked up from the claws.

"Just tell me what I want to know."

"I told you." He leaned forward a bit. "No one's narratin' on an empty stomach here."

"Were you born this big a pain in the ass?" Buffy looked irritated and sounded it too.

"What can I tell you, baby?" Spike smirked while glancing at me. "I've always been bad." He tilted his head to the side. Getting up, he walked over to an unoccupied pool table and set up a game before tossing the other pool stick at me. He started his story with how he was sired while breaking and getting a few of the balls in. "Nine in the corner." He called.

"So you traded up on the food chain. Then what?" Buffy asked.

"No, please. Don't make it sound like something you'd flip past on the discovery channel." He bent over the table while lining up the shot. "Becoming a vampire is a profound and powerful experience." He got the ball in. "I could feel this new strength coursing through me. Getting killed made me feel alive for the very first time." Spike walked around the table while Buffy leaned against a metal beam. "I was through living by society's rules." The vampire pulled a cigarette out and put it between his lips. "Decided to make a few of my own."

"Aren't you a rebel." I popped off while leaning on the other pool stick. The bleached blonde glanced at me before pulling a match from his pocket.

"Of course," He struck it on the edge of the table. "in order to do that....I had to get myself a gang." Spike lit the cancer stick in his mouth. Then, he told about how he had first heard of the Slayer from Angelus. "After that, I was obsessed." He shot another ball. "I mean, to most vampires, a Slayer was this object of cold sweat and frightened whispers." He set down his pool cue to take a drink of his refilled beer. "But I never hid."

"Obviously." I mumbled while watching Spike move around.

"Hell, I sought her out." He smirked. "I mean, if you're lookin' for fun, there's death, there's glory, and sod all else, right?" He leaned on the table and shrugged one shoulder. "I was young."

"So, how'd you kill her?" Buffy looked at the vampire.

"Funny you should ask." Spike walked behind her and grabbed her by the throat. "Lesson the first-" Dropping the pool cue in my hand, I grabbed Spike and pinned him to the pool table. "A Slayer must always reach for her weapon." He smirked while looking up from the table. "I've already got mine." He said as his face changed. Sighing, I let him up while rolling my eyes and he shook his head as his demonic features faded. 

"Hmm." Spike smiled. "Good thing too." He said while picking up the pool stick I had dropped. "Become a vampire, you've got nothing to fear. Nothing but one girl." Buffy crossed her arms as the Spike looked at her. "That's you, honey." The vampire bent over to shoot. "Back then, it was her." And he told about the Slayer in China. I was oddly fascinated by it, though. I mean, it's not everyday that you hear about a fight with the Slayer from the killer's perspective.

"That was the best night of my life." Spike bit into a lime. "And I've had some sweet ones. ....What are you lookin' at?" He said to Buffy.

"You got off on it?" Buffy's face didn't hide her utter disgust.

"Well, yeah. I suppose you're telling me you don't?" Buffy gave him a look and he laughed while shaking his head. "How many of my kind reckon you've done?" He rounded the pool table.

"Not enough." The Slayer replied.

"Mm-hmm. And we just keep coming. But you can kill a hundred, a thousand, a thousand thousand, and the armies of Hell besides, and all we need....is for one of us-just one-sooner or later to have the thing we're all hoping for." I shifted on my feet as he got closer to Buffy. I'd be ready if he tries anything like he did earlier. He glanced at me before looking at Buffy.

"And that would be what?"

"One good day." He whispered and she pushed him back. "Hey! You asked and I'm tellin'." Spike grinned as I stood between him and Buffy with my arms crossed. "The problem with you, Summers, is you've gotten so good, you're starting to think you're immortal." He pointed at Buffy.

"Not really." The Slayer spoke calmly. "I just know I can handle myself."

"Oh. Then how do you explain your side and short stack here standing guard?" Spike pointed at me while raising his eyebrows.

"So that's it? Lesson over?" Buffy asked.

"Not even close." The vampire grabbed the pool cue and walked away. "Come on." Buffy and I looked at each other before following the undead male. Outside _The Bronze_ , Buffy and Spike got physical.

"Give it to me." She said before getting him against the fence by the throat. He just laughed. "What?"

"Lesson the second-ask the right questions. You want to know how I beat 'em." He furrowed his brows and Buffy let him go while stepping back. "The question isn't _'how'd I win?'_ The question is _'why'd they lose?'_ " Spike smirked while walking away from the fence.

"What's the difference?" Buffy asked and I was wondering why they Hell Spike took the pool cue. Suddenly, he had the end of the cue near Buffy's throat and I had to ball my hands into fists so I wouldn't interfere.

"There's a big difference, love." He said seriously before Buffy kicked the pool stick out of his hands.

"How'd you kill the second one?" The Slayer asked.

"Hm? A bit like this." Then, Spike began to punch at her, only missing on purpose even as Buffy dodged.

"That didn't hurt." Buffy looked at the vampire.

"I knew I couldn't touch you. If there's no intent to hurt you, then the chip they shoved up my brain never activates." The Slayer and Spike began to circle. "If, on the other hand...." He trailed off as his face went full vampire, but he shouted in pain the second he stepped towards Buffy. Holding his head with one hand, he shook his head and grinned. "See, now that hurt."

"Yeah?" Buffy made her hands into fists at her sides. "This hurt too?" And she began to hit him.

"Definite pain there."

"How'd you kill them, Spike?" Buffy asked again. The bleached blonde growled before going at the Slayer again. She flipped him over and he landed on his back. Buffy pulled out a stake and just before she got to his heart, Spike grabbed her wrist. I don't know why, but I was feeling a little antsy just standing by as they....' _fought.'_

"You're not ready to know." He told her.

"I'm ready." She forced the stake closer.

"Okay, then. Went like this." Spike tossed her off of him and they began a reenactment of his battle with the second Slayer. "The first one was all business, but the second, uh, she had a touch of your style." He pointed at Buffy before they went back to 'fighting.' "She was cunning, resourceful-" Spike was blocking Buffy's fists. "Oh, and did I mention....hot?" The Slayer caught his wrist. "I could have danced all night with that one."

"You think we're dancing?" Buffy questioned as Spike jerked back his hand.

"That's all we've ever done." Watching them sort of duke it out was interesting to watch. I could see clearly how the body flowed when fighting now that I was just spectating, and I had to say....it _was_ like dancing. "The only thing about the dance is....you never get to stop." He managed to get pool cue before swinging it around. 

"Every day you wake up, it's the same bloody question that haunts you- is today the day I die?" Walking a few steps to the side, I stood to where I could see them better. My attention was caught by this scene playing out before me. "Death is on your heels, baby, and sooner or later, it's gonna catch you." He was breathing heavy now while Buffy was still fairly calm. "And part of you wants it.... Not only to stop the fear and uncertainty, but because you're just a little bit in love with it." Buffy punched him the face, continuing the 'fight.'

"Death is your art. You make it with your hands day after day...." Spike was on his knees on the ground as he looked up at Buffy. "That final gasp, that look of peace. Part of you is desperate to know- what's it like?" Then he glanced at me briefly. "Where does it lead you?" He paused for a second. "And now, you see, that's the secret. Not the punch you didn't throw or the kicks you didn't land. She merely wanted it. Every Slayer....has a death wish. Even you." Spike then rose to his feet.

"The only reason you've lasted as long as you have....is you've got ties to the world- your mum, brat kid sister, the Scoobies. They all tie you here, but you're just puttin' off the inevitable. Sooner or later you're gonna want it. And the second-" Spike clapped his hands together right in front of Buffy's face. "the second that happens, you know I'll be there. I'll slip in. Have myself a _real_ good day." He leaned back while stepping away. "Here endeth the lesson." The vampire gave the Slayer a sideways look. "I just wonder if you'll like it as much as she did."

"Get out of my sight, Spike, now." Buffy said. _'Wait, did I miss something here?'_

"Ooh, did I scare ya? You're the Slayer. Do something about it. Hit me." Spike began to step towards her. "Come on. One good swing. You know you want to." Buffy just stood there.

"I mean it."

"So do I. Give it to me good, Buffy. Do it!"

"Spike, what the Hell are you doing?" Buffy crossed her arms.

"Come on. I can feel it, Slayer. You know you wanna dance." Spike grabbed Buffy.

"Back the Hell off." I said before swinging. The whole time I was watching, I wanted to join and actually fight. For some reason, the proximity of the fight had made me wired, made me want to fight as well. So, being as frustrated as I was, I punched the bleached blonde. I honestly didn't know why I did it or why I was compelled to, but I think my demon half may have been a factor.... Buffy just sort of looked at me and pulled the money from her pocket.

"Say I do want to." She looked down at Spike as he was laying on the ground. "It wouldn't be you, Spike. It would never be you." Her face was cold while she glared at the vampire as he propped himself up on his elbows. "You are beneath me." Then Buffy just tossed the cash to him and it rained down as she walked away. _'Hold on, did I miss something again....?'_

"Oh, shit." I mumbled when I realized what I had done. "Uh, did not mean to hit you that hard...." I said before I saw how pissed Spike looked. "Um...." Averting my gaze while scratching the back of my head, I stepped towards him. "Look, I was just....wait, what am I getting all apologetic for?" I furrowed my brows. "You're a freaking vampire, not a human. Come on, get up." I said while pulling him to his feet by the front of his shirt. Picking up some of the money off the ground, I grabbed his hand and put the bills into his palm.

"The bruise I gave you will fade, so that's nothing to cry over." Patting some dust off of his coat, I put my hands onto my hips. "Just walk it off and you'll be fine. That's what Pops always told me when I was a kid....that and to be nice to people instead of biting their legs and hands...." I furrowed my brows again. "Anyways," I shook my head. "I gotta catch up to Buffy." I began to step back. "Spike, don't be a dumbass and waste all the money on nonsense. Oh, also, stop leaving your damn cigarette butts outside my house. Find another short-cut to use." Pointing at him, I glared before walking away.


	27. Go to sleep for ten

" _'Your one-stop spot to shop for all your occult needs.'_ " Tara read the add in the phone book for the Magic Box. "Catchy."

"Think so?" Pops asked while drinking some coffee.

"Uh-huh, in a hard-to-read sort of way, but I think it's great." Tara walked to the back shelf behind the counter while Pops leaned over the book.

"Oh." The bell on the front door jingled as Willow, Anya, and Xander walked in.

"I'm just saying, I think it's rude" Xander said.

"I wouldn't call it rude." Willow replied and I looked up from the books I was returning to a shelf.

"Rude-ish. Rude-esque. Whatever you want to call it. When a person makes a _'destroy all vampires'_ date, it's simple courtesy to wait for your co-destroyers. Am I right, Giles?" Xander asked and Pops looked up,

"I'm almost certain you're not, but to be fair, I wasn't listening."

"Oh, the new phone book's in with Mr. Giles's ad." Tara came up to the counter as Anya walked past and the guys gathered around.

"Oh, nice." Willow smiled.

"Yay! Am I mentioned?" Anya slid to a stop as she looked. Smiling, I set down the stack of books on the table and walked over to where they were.

"Not as such." Pops told her.

"Oh."

"So, what's this about vampires and 'co-destoyers'?" I asked.

"Okay, we were supposed to hook up with Riley this morning....to take on a nest o' vamps holed up in a tomb. So we get there, and guess what? Tell him, Wil." Xander gestured to Giles.

"Tomb go boom." Willow made a face.

"Yep, Captain America blowed it up real good. All by his lone wolf lonesome." Xander leaned a hand on the counter.

"Hmm, rather reckless of him." Pops nodded.

"I'd say very rather." Xander put his other hand onto his hip.

"All that aside, I should think you'd be pleased to avoid the confrontation." Pops took a drink of his coffee.

"That's what I've been saying. I mean, I for one, didn't want to start my day with a slaughter." There was a pause as Anya's face lit up. "Which really just goes to show how much I've grown." She smiled.

"Hooray for Anya!" Raising my hand, she high-fived me.

"Yes, um, in any event, uh, since you're all here, Tara, Aud, and I could use your help researching Buffy's mysterious woman." Pops walked towards the table. Picking up the stack of books I had set down, I went to finish putting them back up. There were enough books on the table as it was.

"Oh, yeah. This has been fruitful- trying to look up something you never saw and don't know the name of." Xander said as everyone followed Giles to the table and sat down.

"Just do what I do-flip through the pages and look busy." Anya told the man.

"It'd be nice if we knew where she was, where she's hiding out." Willow shrugged.

"No doubt lurking around some sewer or condemned church or rat infested warehouse. You know, the usual haunts." Xander suggested.

"I don't think so." I spoke up while placing the last book onto the shelf. "From Buffy's description of her, she doesn't seem like the normal _'dark and dank'_ dweller."

~

"I just wish we knew what we were dealing with." Willow said after hours of research. "It just feels like we're going around in circles."

"Our circles are going in circles." Xander stood up and walked around the table. "We've got dizzy circles here, Giles."

"Ah! Weeping Buddha. Shoulders your spiritual burden." Pops was talking to a customer. "Makes a lovely paperweight too."

"Maybe she's not in the books." Tara spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Willow asked.

"I mean, what if she's not a demon or sorceress....or a spirit or whatever these books cover?" Tara looked at each of us. "What if she's something else altogether?"

"Something new, you mean?" Pops asked with his hands in his pockets as he finished with the customer and walked over.

"Something like Aud or something old." Tara shook her head. "So old it predates the written word." I looked up from the book in my hands.

"No, the scent Buffy had on her wasn't anything like me. This woman is something else." I stated. Sighing, I went back to the book. "Something else entirely."

"Giles, the Dagon Sphere-you said it was created to repel...." Willow looked at Pops.

"That which cannot be named." Pops took off his glasses, and I pulled out my phone to check the time.

"Crap!" I stood up. "Uh, I gotta go, guys. I said I'd help Buffy out with Dawn." Looking at Pops, he nodded and pointed to the door, saying it was okay for me to go.

"Well, fill you in later along with Buffy, then."

"Cool." I gave a two-fingered salute to the guys before turning away. Walking to the door, I couldn't help but look around the store. There was an odd scent in the air, familiar, but I couldn't name it. Shaking my head, I left the Magic Box and headed to the hospital.

~

"Hey, Buffy." I said with a low and calm voice. She gave a sad smiled and I glanced over to Dawn. She was passed out in a chair, sleeping like a baby while covered with Riley's jacket like a blanket. "I'll keep a close eye on her." She nodded while leaning against Riley. Walking over, I sat down next to Dawn, being careful to not wake her. Who knows when the last time it was she got actual sleep since their mother was brought to the hospital.

Not but a moment later, the doctor came and talked to Buffy about Joyce's condition. _'I hope she's okay....'_ I thought while shifting in the chair. _'The Summers women are strong, right? But Joyce....Joyce **is** still human....'_ Sighing, I didn't want to think about it anymore, but that's all there was to think about.

I mean, yeah, I barely knew Joyce, but in the few times I had met her, she had left quite the impression. I could see where Buffy and Dawn got some of their personality traits from as well. When I looked over at Buffy while she was talking to the doctor, I kind of felt heavy in my gut. Her face was telling what kind of news she was receiving, and her tears didn't hide the truth, either. Something really was wrong with Joyce.

Looking back down at Dawn, I wondered how this all would affect her. Buffy was strong, but she was still pretty much a young girl while Dawn was still just a kid. This is going to be hard on both of them, I just wish I could make things easier.... _'Wait.'_ I thought. _'I could help out. I mean, I have a job, but that's with Pops, so he'd understand if I took time off until things were back to equilibrium with the Summers. Also, I don't go to school like Buffy and Dawn, so I could help out every day.'_

"I'll talk to Buffy about it...." I mumbled while placing my cheek into my hand.

"I need to talk to Giles." Buffy's voice came from above me and I glanced up. "Will you do me a favor and drop Dawn off at school and tell her I'll meet her at the magic shop when-when she gets off?"

"Of course, yeah." I nodded while sitting up all the way. "Anything you need." I glanced at Dawn. "What do I tell Dawn if she asks about your mother?" Buffy silently looked at her little sister for a few seconds.

"Tell her we don't know anything yet." Buffy said before she left.

"And my duties begin."

~

"You're melting." I said while looking over at Dawn playing with her ice-cream. I had taken her to a park, letting her relieve some stress seemed to be a good idea. Plus, I didn't have much knowledge with kids, but I do remember when I was one myself.

"Oh, um, guess I'm not hungry." Dawn sat the ice-cream down on the bench next to her.

"Maybe I'm not making this any better...." I sighed while looking at my hands in my lap. "I mean, you barely even know me." My mouth kind of made a half smile while glancing at the little Summers girl.

"No. I just-" She paused. "This is better." Dawn smiled while looking at the Merry-Go-Round. The music from it filled the surrounding air, and there were happy faces all around. "I had my 10th birthday party here." Dawn told me while grinning at the carousel.

"Really?" I asked. _'Okay, she's talking to me. That's a good sign, right?'_

"Mm-hmm." She nodded. "We'd just moved to Sunnydale and....mom rented the carousel for an entire hour for just me and my friends." Dawn paused. "Except I hadn't made any friends yet, so it was just me and mom and Buffy riding it by ourselves, over and over and over again.... For the whole hour," She looked at me. "just so mom felt like we'd gotten our money's worth. She's-" Dawn cut herself off while looking down. "She's not gonna get better, is she?" I turned in my seat to look right at her.

"Absolutely she will-is what someone would say. But I'm not someone." Dawn looked at me. "I don't know, I can't tell the future, but in this day and age with the current advancements in medicine and technology, it'll be hard to say she won't. Also, you Summers women are tough." I smiled. She smiled while putting some of her hair behind her ear.

"I'm really glad you're here."

"Thanks." I sort of grinned.

"Buffy's glad too."

"Yeah?" Shifting, I put my back facing the back of the bench.

"She doesn't get as many injuries during patrols now than she did without you. Also, she admires your skills."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Buffy talks about you. Whenever she gets off patrol, she talks about how you took down a vampire or helped her out with a demon. I think she likes having another super-strength around- it kind of lightens the load, I guess you could say." Dawn looked over at me. "I think you've been a really big help for her." I smiled while looking at the Merry-Go-Round.

"That's what I've been trying to be." After I had dropped Dawn off at school, I sort of waited around in the nearby area to make sure nothing happened. I mean, I remember the story about Buffy's graduation. If that happened again, Dawn and the rest of the school would need help as soon as possible. Plus, I wanted to make sure she got to the Magic Box safely as well. So, after school, I walked with her to the magic shop where I was also filled in on how Pops sold Buffy's mystery lady an amulet and bloodstone.

While Dawn got on her homework, I sat across from her while reading up on the Sobekites and the ritual the unidentified woman was most likely going to do. By the time Buffy got back, it was dark outside and the last of the Magic Box customers were leaving. Dawn rose from her chair and went to Buffy, hugging her.

"Is she awake yet?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah. She's waiting for us." Buffy said as her little sister stood back.

"Can we take her home now?"

"We'll see." The Slayer gave a sort of sad smile while brushing some of Dawn's hair behind her ear. "Go get your stuff." Dawn went back to the table to collect her things. Buffy walked over to the counter where Willow, Pops, and I were. "So, any monster reptile sightings?"

"None." Pops said while grabbing his coffee.

"Tara and I did a mini-patrol earlier, but the biggie snake was nowhere to be-" Willow was cut off by the front window crashing open and shattering as growling filled the store. A snake-like creature slithered in through the window and reared back before knocking down a shelf onto Buffy. It went up to Dawn as she was screaming.

Jumping over the counter as it was hissing and roaring while Dawn was screaming, I slid to halt between the creature and screaming girl. The noise hurt my ears, but I ignored it while baring my fangs and growling at the snake before it turned away and slithered out.

"Dawn, you okay?" Xander quickly came up while asking and I turned around to look at the little Summers.

"Why was the big snake afraid of Aud?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, it would have fought." I furrowed my brows before looking around. _'Demons like that aren't scared of much, especially something little like me.'_

"Aud!" Buffy caught my attention. "We need to stop it!" Buffy then ran out and I quickly followed her. It was slithering down the street, people were screaming and cars were screeching to avoid it. Chasing after it, I somehow passed Buffy and was gaining on the snake. As the people on the streets began to thin out, I let some of my demonic traits show.

The creature was fast, and I could hear a car screeching behind me as I chased the snake into the housed part of Sunnydale. It then went into a large open area where I was able to catch up to it fully. Grabbing its tail, I yanked back while digging my heels into the ground. It roared and hissed at me, ready to fight back until Buffy came out of nowhere and was jumping on its back while pulling a chain around its neck.

When it began to gasp for air and stopped fighting, Buffy dropped the chain after it ceased to breathe. She was panting as she looked at me, and I sighed with relief.

"Glad that's over." And as soon as I said that, the snake flung Buffy off of its back. It turned on her, about to attack, but she got to it first, tackling it to the ground and beating its face in. She kept punching and punching, even after the snake-like creature was dead.

"Buffy...." I said while watching her. "Buffy! It's dead, come on." Putting a hand on her shoulder, she gave one more punch. She was breathing heavily as she stood up, looking at the demon goo on her hands. "I think I saw a water fountain around here somewhere, let's go clean that off." Speaking calmly, I lead Buffy away from the dead creature with a caved in face.


	28. And anticipating

Going on patrol with the rest of the Scoobies for Buffy was a little hectic, especially since the vampires were former body builders and the guys were just humans.... However, Willow managed to take one out, and when Pops tried to stake the one that had Xander pinned, he almost staked Xander instead. Willow also took that one out while I was staking the vampires I was fighting.

"Oh, my God. What a rough night." Pops sounded exhausted.

"I dusted two of 'em!" Willow was waving her hands excitedly. "Yay on me!" She was smiling. "That was pretty cool, except the part where I was all terrified, and now my knees are all dizzy."

"Good job Willow." I high-fived her, and Pops bent over.

"Whoa." Giles picked up his dirty glasses from the ground.

"Not so much a big success night for me, but I think I should get points just for showing up, unlike some Riley Finn who shall remain unnamed." Xander said as we were walking.

"Yes, that was disappointing. Things would've been easier if he'd been here." Pops looked around.

"Thanks, Pops." I gave him a look while crossing my arms.

"Oh, Piffle!" Willow waved a hand. "Who needs him when we got Aud and I'm dustin' two at a ti-" Willow's knees gave and Xander and Pops managed to catch her before she fell. "Whoops. Maybe it would've been good if he had showed up."

"Perhaps he forgot."

"Sorry I was busy with other bloodsuckers." I said while bending my knees with my back to Willow. "Hop on, I'll carry you."

"Are you sure?" Willow asked.

"I'm half-demon, of course I'm sure. You probably weigh so little it'll be like lifting a child's book." Looking over my shoulder, Willow was helped onto my back by the Xander and Pops. When I stood up all the way, I grabbed the back of her knees while her arms went around my neck. "See, you're like a book....but human."

~

After I had talked to Buffy about her current situation with her mom, we had come to the conclusion that I'd be staying with the Summers until everything was back to normal. So, while Buffy and Dawn were at the hospital with Joyce, I was at their place.

I was getting comfortable in the house while listening to music and cleaning the Summers home. Since they hadn't really been there in a while, the place was starting to look less than like it had when Joyce was there. Plus, I thought it would be nice if they got to come home to a clean house and home cooked meals rather than hospital food and take-out.

Pops was cool with the whole thing, and since the Summers had a spare room, I'd be sleeping on a bed instead of a couch. So I guess that was a perk. Also, with me being here, no one could rob the place while the Summers girls were gone.

"I'm like a demonic guard dog." I chuckled while dusting the mantle. Later, when it was dark outside, Buffy had called me from the hospital saying she would be coming home and she was bringing Joyce with her. I got a little excited, so I just couldn't sit around and wait for them- I had to move around and pace in the living room.

"Here we go." I heard Buffy's voice as the front door opened.

"Oh, it's nice to be home." Joyce sighed.

"Do you want to go into bed, mom?" Dawn asked as Buffy turned on a light.

"Oh! Buffy, no. That light, it's too bright." Walking towards them, I sort of smiled seeing Joyce looking better than she did in the hospital. "It's too bright. It's too bright."

"Oh, okay, okay." Buffy turned the light back off.

"Buffy, it hurts, it hurts. It hurts my eyes."

"It's off. It's off." Buffy told her mom.

"Welcome back, Ms. Summers." I said in a soft tone, making sure to not be too loud.

"Oh, hello. Aud, was it?" Joyce asked.

"Yes, ma'am." I nodded. "Um, everything's taken care of for tonight, Buffy. The dishes are done and I went ahead and tidied up the place." Looking to Buffy, she smiled.

"Thank you." She said before turning to her mom. "Come on, let's get you upstairs." Buffy took Joyce up the stairs, being careful to make sure her mom wouldn't trip or fall. I stood next to Dawn, watching them go up.

"Hey, I made some cookies if you want one before Buffy makes you go to bed...." I trailed off. She smiled softly and nodded. Taking her to the kitchen, I pulled out the plate of cookies and set them on the island. "So, how are they?"

"Pretty good." She nodded after taking a bite. The two of us sort of talked a little until Buffy came back down stairs.

"You made cookies too?" She asked.

"Yeah, had to pass the time somehow." I smirked. "Here, have some." Gesturing to the plate, Buffy took one.

"You know, I might just steal you from Giles. You make the perfect housekeeper." She joked. After a few more cookies, we went to the living room and turned on the TV. After a while, though, there was some clattering in the kitchen.

"Mom?" Dawn called after Buffy turned off the TV so she could hear. As soon as I smelt something burning, I jumped to my feet and rushed to the kitchen. I heard Buffy and Dawn following me, and I saw Joyce looking in the fridge while there was something burning on the stove.

"Oh, my-oh!" Buffy began to cough as I grabbed the pan and turned off the stove. "Mom, what are you doing?"

"I'm making breakfast." Joyce replied while closing the refrigerator. Taking the pan to the sink, I quickly discarded the burnt food into the garbage disposal. "You shouldn't eat any more. You're disgustingly fat." Joyce said. _'So....this is what Buffy meant when she said Joyce may act strange....'_ "Oh, Buffy, I don't know what I'm doing." She said after a quiet pause.

"You just need some rest." Buffy told her. "We'll put you back to bed." Her and Dawn took her by the arms.

"I'll clean this up." I said when Buffy glanced back at me. After Joyce and Dawn were in bed, Buffy came back down stairs to help me, even after I told her I'd clean it up. We could hear Joyce talking to herself up in her room, and Buffy turned on the radio on the shelf by the sink so that she didn't have to hear it. It was hard enough on her to deal with everything else.

It didn't take long after that until Buffy began to cry. As the music played, she started sobbing. I couldn't help it and grabbed Buffy, hugging her as she cried into my shoulder.

"Shh....it'll be okay. It'll all be okay." I told her while petting her hair. Whenever I cried, Pops would tell me the same thing and do what I was doing. I knew it helped me when I was little, so I assumed it would help Buffy as well. Under the music and tears, I could have sworn I heard something going on upstairs

"Buffy!" Dawn screamed and the Slayer and I looked up before running.

"What? What is it?" Buffy and I quickly went into Joyce's room to see Dawn and Ms. Summers wiping something off of her face.

"There's something out there, Buffy. It's-it's after mom."

"You guys stay in here. Don't leave this room." Buffy said before closing the door. She looked at me and I nodded while my tail and fangs grew out. Suddenly, something dropped from the ceiling and landed on Buffy. Digging my claws into it, I ripped it off of Buffy and threw it. The thing fell down the stairs before Buffy and I chased it down.

Carefully walking through the house towards the kitchen, Buffy grabbed a knife from the counter as I looked around. How the thing had even gotten into the house without me knowing was beyond me, it was as if the thing didn't have a scent at all. But I knew it did, it reeked.

Once Buffy was armed, I began to walk one way while she went the other. I was right in front of the basement door when it suddenly opened, and I was ready to kill.

"Spike?" I said with slight irritation.

"Yeah." He closed the door while standing in front of me. "Listen, uh, did you hear a noise?" He looked around.

"What the Hell are you doing in Buffy's house?"

"What about you? Huh? It's a little late for you to be here."

"I'm staying here for a while, which I can't say the same about you." Crossing my arms, one of my ears twitched as I listened to Buffy walking in the living room.

"Right, then. Caught me." He took in a deep breath. "The basement's full of junk, and me being in need of, uh, junk-"

"You were stealing?" I gave him a look and nodded.

"Well, yeah. Can't exactly work the counter at Burger Barn."

"Okay, hand over everything you stole." Holding out my hand, he just sort of looked at me. Then, the giant pill-bug looking thing came out of nowhere and attacked Spike, causing him to fall back while screaming as the thing looked like it was trying to bite him.

Going over to kill the thing, Spike was kicking his legs out and hit me. The sound of me falling on my ass caught its attention and I soon found the giant thing on me. Rolling around, I tried to get the thing off of me as its little, clawed hands went around my throat. Punching it seemed to work as its grip loosened a bit. Grabbing its face in one hand, I pushed it back away from my own face as its inhuman screams filled my ears.

"Aud!" Spike called as he came up and was trying to pull it off of me. With him pulling, I was able to get a better range of motion, so I swung my arm, making my claws slice through the thing's throat. The screaming died down and Spike dropped the thing on the ground.

"Geez." I panted and looked up to see the vampire holding a hand out to me. Accepting it, he pulled me to my feet just as Buffy came running in.

"Aud! Are you okay?" She then noticed the company. "Spike?" her brows furrowed. Just then, the front door busted open and people came pouring in with flashlights and guns.

"Cover the room!"

"We're in! Fan out!" The back door in the kitchen was forced open as more humans came in.

"Check the back!"

"Clear!"

"Hostile in room!" One shouted and I found myself on the ground again.

"Hey! Get the Hell off of me!" I shouted while squirming face-down on the ground. "Watch the tail, you idiot!"

"Back down, this hostile belongs to the Slayer." Riley said while walking in. _'Belongs to the Slayer?'_ I rolled my eyes as the armed human got off of my back. ' _I'm not a pet, you know.'_ I thought, but kept quiet since his lie may be the only thing keeping them from trying to kill me. "You okay?" Riley looked to Buffy as Spike pulled my to my feet....again. 

"We're clear!" A soldier called and Buffy just gave Riley a look before hurrying upstairs.

"You just missed a real nice time." The bleached blonde told Riley before he saw the thing dead on the ground.

"Okay, I just got nearly killed by a freaking overgrown pill-bug, and then smeared into the ground by a human. What's next? Get tossed into the damn circus?" I grumbled while dusting myself off.

~

The following day, Joyce went back to the hospital to have her surgery. The doctors all said she had a good chance of making it through the procedure, and the whole Scoobie gang showed up at the hospital. We were there for support and to just be there for Buffy and Dawn.


	29. I will be waiting

Waiting in the lounge, I couldn't keep from bouncing my knee while Joyce was still in the operating room. She had been in there a while and I didn't know if that was normal or if something had gone wrong. _'It's okay, Aud. Joyce is gonna be fine. Just keep cool, Buffy and Dawn need to be able to have someone to lean on during this....'_ I would tell myself whenever I found myself looking at the clock.

I felt a certain type of relief and fear of the unknown when the doctor working on Joyce came into view. We all rose to our feet as he stood in front of Buffy. Listening to what he had to say, I felt my sense of fear wash away.

"Okay, your mom's in recovery." He told Buffy. _'Oh, thank goodness. That means she made it through surgery.'_

"What happened?" Buffy asked. "Is she all right?"

"Well, it was possible to visualize the tumor completely, which means I was able to get all of it. So, barring complications in recovery, I think your mother's going to be fine." The doctor nodded. "Of course, we're still going to have to watch your mother carefully....and, uh, have her back in here for some follow up testing, but, uh, overall, I'd consider the procedure a complete success."

There were smiles and rejoicing as we all heard about Joyce's condition. Hell, I was so happy that I even hugged everyone- including Riley.

"Oh, my goodness. Doctor, thank you. Thank you so much." Buffy said.

"Believe-believe me, it's my pleasure." He raised his hands and Buffy gave him a bone crunching hug. Literally. "Ow!"

"Sorry! Sorry." Buffy quickly let go. That night, Dawn stayed the night with Anya and Xander so Buffy could have _'alone time'_ with Riley. I knew what that meant, so I crashed on Pops's couch once again.

"Yo, Pops! Rise and shine, old man!" I raised my voice to wake up Giles the next morning. "I got breakfast made and a plate with your name on it!" Hearing some grumbling up above me, I smirked as his feet hit the floor.

"I'm up." Pops said before going down the stairs. "Is this why Buffy was asking me if she could keep you?" He asked as I handed him a plate with eggs, biscuits, a couple slices of bacon, and a few pancakes.

"Maybe. On the first night, she said I was the perfect housekeeper." I shrugged with a smile. "I blame you and the Council for that. Always making me clean stuff."

"Well, you had to learn some sort of, uh, responsibility." Giles raised his eyebrows. "I also wanted to-to make sure you could look after yourself i-if you were to ever be on your own."

"I guess that makes sense." I said after pointing with my fork. "Oh, by the way, I gotta go help Buffy later on. She wants to get a few wigs for her mom, but doesn't want to go alone." Pops nodded as he ate and I looked down at my plate. "Also, I already made you dinner for tonight since I'll be back at Buffy's. All you have to do is heat it up."

"Aud, darling, I may be old, but I'm not incapable of doing things." Pops told me.

"I know, I know. I just had the impulse and I thought _'why the Hell not?'_ so I did it." Grabbing my plate, I rinsed it off in the sink. "Oh, and one other thing...." I trailed off while walking over and hugging Pops. "It wasn't me who cleaned up the books all over the floor." Quickly hurrying out the door, I grabbed my jacket and left before Pops could complain about me cleaning up.

After going with Buffy to pick up some wigs, I didn't really have much else to do. So, I set to personalizing the extra room the Summers were letting me stay in. And by personalize, I meant put my clothes in the dresser and fill the closet with the few weapons I owned. Once that was done, I just sort of lazed about until it was time for me to make dinner for Buffy and Dawn.

That night, I fell asleep fast in the comfortable bed. I would have slept through the whole night peacefully, but I was woken up by my door closing.

"Dawn, if that's you, I already said don't mess with my tail while I'm trying to sleep." I said with a half-awake tone.

"It's me." A voice that was definitely not Dawn's said. My eyes popped open and I sat up in bed while holding onto the blankets.

"What the Hell are you doing in here, blood breath?"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't have a good reason." He scoffed. "I need you to wake up Buffy, she'd kill me if I-" He completely stopped and furrowed his brows as he stared at me. "Are you naked under there?"

"What? There's basically nothing but females here. Except you, now get out." I pointed to the door.

"No, I'm serious. I mean, not about the naked part, I mean-"

"Get out, or I will drop you out head first." My tail swayed a bit behind me as I glared at the vampire.

"I wanna show Buffy something."

"Then tell her, not me."

"Well, I need you to wake her so I don't get turned to dust." Spike looked at me, and I rolled my eyes while sighing. "Come on, got a bit of a time-frame here." There was a silent pause and I gave him a look telling him to get out. When he caught on, he scoffed again. "Oh, please! Like I give a bloody damn." He said while simply turning around.

Glaring, I leaned over and picked my pajamas up off the floor. Slipping on my pants as I stood up, I walked past Spike and went out the door.

"Let's go, you pansy." I said over my shoulder while putting my hair into a ponytail. Spike followed me down the hall to Buffy's room. My brows furrowed when I heard only the soft breathing of Buffy. I could have sworn Riley was over. Gently opening the door, I walked up to Buffy's bedside.

"Buffy...." Leaning back a good distance, I tapped her shoulder with my tail. The blonde woman shot up and groggily looked around.

"What?"

"Spike apparently wants to show you something." Pointing to the vampire standing in her doorway, I watched her immediately wake up completely and glare at Spike.

"What?"

"You need to see this." Buffy sighed like I had. "But we need to move if we want to get there in time." Letting Buffy get ready and put her shoes on, I waved to her as she was walking down the hall with Spike.

"See ya, I bet he just found something stupid to show you." Buffy turned around and looked at me.

"What are you talking about? You're coming, too." My hand fell to my side as Buffy said that.

"What?" I asked with a blank expression.

"You woke me up, you have to tag along." She crossed her arms and my head fell back with a groan.

"Let me get my shoes and jacket."

~

Walking through town, it was awfully quiet. Nothing to be unexpected since it was so late at night. Buffy and I sort of just followed Spike as he led us to an abandoned building. Inside, I could smell humans, blood, and vampires.

"Don't start slayin'. This isn't what we're here for." Spike said lowly.

Walking past the feeding undead, it seemed like the humans were.... _getting off_ on being vampire feed. They weren't struggling or even screaming as they were being bitten.

The walls were covered in graffiti, and trash littered the floor while candles and small fires lit the place. When Buffy looked at Spike, he gestured towards the stairs with his head. Buffy went up first, then me, but Spike was stopped by another vampire.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Just having a look, mate. Keep it down." Spike turned, but was stopped again as the other vampire grabbed his arm.

"You can't go up there." Spike grabbed him by the throat and pushed him to the ground.

"I said keep it down." He then fixed his coat before following the Slayer and I upstairs. I was wondering what in Hell could Spike possibly want Buffy to see so badly in a place like this.

He stopped walking and looked at Buffy before looking to the door in front of him. Buffy had her brows furrowed as she walked up to the partially opened door. She glanced back just before going in. Standing behind her, I couldn't believe what I saw.

"Harder." Riley was clenching his jaw as he looked down at the vampire feeding on him. Buffy's gasp caught their attention, making the bloodsucker look up from the ex-commando's arm. There was silence as Riley just looked at the Slayer. "Buffy." Buffy slowly backed up before running away.

"Buffy!" I called after her, watching her run down the hall.

"Buffy!" Riley raised his voice.

"We only came here 'cause we care about you, friend." I heard the bleached blonde say before I chased after Buffy.

"Buffy, wait!" I called after her again while hurrying down the stairs. She was obviously hurt and God knows what was running through her head after seeing what she did.

"Hey. Hey! Hey!" A vampire tried to stop the Slayer in her path, but ended up getting tossed into a hard wall.

"Buffy, hold on a second!" Reaching out as she went down the stairs outside, she finally stopped and leaned against a brick wall with my hand on her arm. Spike came out after, standing a few feet away.

"I thought you should know." He said and the look Buffy gave him was blood chilling. Spike looked confused, and Buffy silently ran off again. I just watched her leave this time. What could I possibly do that would make her feel better? All I _could_ do at the moment was give her some space.

"Damn you, Spike!" I growled while shoving the vampire.

"What? What did I sodding do?!" He looked down at me while furrowing his brows.

"You didn't have to show her that! She's going through enough right now!" I yelled.

"Well, what else was I supposed to do? It's not like she'd sodding believe me if I just told her!" He raised his hands out at his sides.

"So?!" My hands balled into fists as I yelled some more. "You could have told me, or anyone else so we could've told her. Buffy should've heard from one of us instead of you showing her." I pointed at him. When I heard Riley come running out of the building, I glared at the man. "I can't believe you." My voice was quiet now, but my face conveyed how I felt about Riley at the moment.

Walking off, I fixed my jacket and shoved my fists into my pockets so I wouldn't go back and beat someone.

Back at the Summers home, Buffy was curled up in bed. I could tell she didn't want to talk by the way she ignored me as I stood in her doorway. Sighing, I turned away.

"I'll be down the hall if you need me." I told her with a calm and quiet voice. Going to my room, I kicked off my shoes and tossed my jacket onto the floor. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep anymore that night, so I grabbed my CD player and sat on the floor while leaning my back against the bed. Putting on the headphones, I turned the volume up, trying to drown out the thoughts running through my head.

When the sun came up and I knew the Magic Box would be open, I went there. After giving Pops a brief good morning, I quickly went to the training room in the back. Hours passed as I trained my body and practiced my fighting skills alone before Buffy came in. She was silent, not saying a word to me as she slipped on her gloves.

I stopped hitting the punching bag and watched her, looking for any hint that she wasn't upset with me or if she was willing to talk. When she finally looked at me, she tossed me a pair of training gloves. Nodding, I got the message. Buffy didn't want to talk right now, just vent out her frustration.

Slipping the padded training gloves on over my fingerless ones, I took a firm stance while raising my hands. Buffy walked over and began to rhythmically punch my palms.

When Riley showed up, neither Buffy nor I acknowledged his presence.

"We need to talk."

"I'm not ready to talk to you yet." Buffy said as she hit my palms. She was doing different strikes now, so I moved my hands to where her knuckles would hit the center of the training gloves.

"Too bad." Riley walked over, taking his jacket off.

"I'm serious," She stopped hitting and turned away. "unless you wanna fight...."

"So let's fight. We need to have this out, Buffy, right now."

"That's my cue." I said as Buffy walked away from me. Dropping the gloves onto a bench as I walked out, I heard Buffy raise her voice.

"And say what, Riley?" Was the last thing I heard before I placed a set of headphones over my ears. Leaving the Magic Box, I went to go see what Dawn might want for dinner tonight.


	30. For you to wake again

"All right. Switch. Left lead." Pops told Buffy as she was striking at the training gloves.

"So you really think they might be able to help us?" Buffy asked.

"If you mean are they gonna help us find out something about Glory-" He paused as Buffy gave a few punches. "I saw that coming. You're dropping your shoulder." Pops told the Slayer. "Uh, the resources that the Watchers Council have at its disposal, I-I mean, the central library alone is-is-" Giles was getting a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Don't talk about the books again." Buffy said. Smirking as I kept my balance, I noticed a bug crawling on the floor between my hands. It was so tiny, so I just ignored it as I stayed in the handstand position.

"You get all....and sometimes there's drool."

"I'm sorry, but we have really exhausted the materials I have here and we-we're coming up empty." Buffy continued to punch."And you're-you're still dropping your shoulder. I can see when you're gonna go with your right." Pops sighed as Buffy paused. "You're doing it again!" He repeated when she went back to punching. "W-wow! Ohh!"

"Sorry, sorry." Buffy quickly said to Pops. "So, Glory's all you're gonna talk to them about, right?"

"Let's-let's take a break."

"Answer me."

"I'm not gonna mention Dawn's name. I wouldn't do that. I promise."

"But you're gonna tell them about the Key?" Buffy asked as I lifted up one of my hands. Pops said I had to do this every now and then to make sure I still could keep my focus. Focus was pretty much the only thing that keeps my demon bits hidden, and control is what allowed me to show only certain parts without going _'full demon'_ as I like to call it. "That Glory's looking for something called the Key?"

"Knowing her goal is-is crucial. I mean, if anything helps them uncover her origins, her-her plans...."

"I know." Buffy got a pout in her tone. "It's just I trust these Watchers about as far as you could throw them."

"Thank you very much." Pops replied with slight sarcasm and Buffy sighed.

"I'm just freaked about the idea of giving them any information that could possibly lead them to Dawn."

"Truly, Buffy, if I saw an alternative, I- If-if the Initiative were still around, I'd consider using them, but they're gone." Pops told Buffy as I heard them sit down. "And then Riley was the-was the last link we had to the government." It then went real quiet. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, uh-"

"It's okay. You can say his name." Buffy sniffed. "I'm doing all right. These things happen. People break up and they move on. For a wile it feels like the end of the world, you know, but big picture-"

"Not so huge." Pops said.

"Not so huge? I just said it feels like the end of the world! Don't you listen?" There was another silent pause. "I'm teasing." Buffy told him.

"Oh."

"Sort of. I'll be okay."

"Well, I do hate to go if you're feeling badly."

"Look, if it helps you find out something about Glory, I'm thrilled to have you gone. Plus, I got the other Giles to keep me company." I glanced up to see Buffy smiling at me.

~

"You're going away for a week?" Anya asked as we were sitting around the table with books. "That's great."

"Yes, yes, everybody seems delighted about it."

"Well, I get to run the store, right?"

"You? W-well, there's quite a lot for one person to take care of." Pops got this look on his face. "Uh, uh, I mean, the trash men, for example. I mean, th-th-they've been making such a mess in the back alley that, well, the recycling people can't get in there to collect. Well, somebody has to talk to them."

"I can take care of that." Anya said.

"I'm envious, Mr. Giles. A trip to England sounds so exciting and exotic....unless you're English." Tara made a face.

"Well, England can be nice. But there's just so much rain...." I said while flipping the page in the book about demons I was reading.

"Don't worry about the shop. We'll take care of it." Buffy told Pops as he was putting his coat on. "We can open and close, and we'll deal with everyone."

"We can come by between classes. Usually I use that time to copy over my class notes with a system of different colored pens, but it's been pointed out to me that that's, you know, insane."

"I said _'quirky.'_ " Tara rolled her eyes.

"Hello? I work here." Anya looked at them. "And so does Aud, right?" She pointed to my name tag. "We'll take care of everything."

"Yeah, Anya can do it." Xander pointed a thumb at Anya.

"Thanks, sweetie. Well said." She pat him on the shoulder.

"Um, Anya, Aud, while I completely trust you two, uh-uh, to take care of the inventory and the money, um," Pops got this sort of cringe-y face as he walked towards the table. "dealing with people requires a certain, uh, finesse."

"I have finesse!" I looked up from the book.

"I have finesse coming out of my bottom!" Anya told him. "I can completely lie to the health inspector. I can, you know, distract him with coy smiles and bribe him with money and goods."

"See there? She'll be great."

"Don't worry, Giles. I'll help her take care of everything." Willow said. "It'll be shipshape. Better, it'll be _'shop-shape.'_ "

"And-and I can do heavy lifting!" I nodded. "If, you know, someone needs help with that...."

"Xander, she's talking to Giles like I'm not here." Anya crossed her arms. "Make her stop."

"Perhaps I'd better call the airline." Pops quickly said.

"I'm just tryin' to help out. Xander, tell her!" Willow looked to her male friend.

"Schedule an earlier flight back. Excuse me." Pops then hurried away.

"Tell her that I don't need her help." Anya continued.

"So, how goes the slaying?" Xander ignored the two women and looked to Buffy.

"I killed something in a convent last night." Buffy told him.

"In any other room, a frightening declaration. Here, a welcome distraction." Xander said while looking at Anya and Willow. "Tell us all about the killing, Buff."

"Pretty standard. Vampire staking. Oh!" Buffy sat up straighter. "But I met a nun and she let me try on her wimple." She nodded with a smile.

"Okay, now we're back to frightening." Xander looked away and left the table.

~

"Good. And-and Hellebore. It's up and to the right." Willow told Tara as they were behind the front counter. Anya was going through orders and I just sat there watching them. Pretty much, I was just the security guard and there was nothing that needed securing.

"Oh, Hellebore. One of my favorites."

"It's powerful stuff. I tried to use it to de-rat Amy and it didn't work, but I think it might have made her really smart." Willow said as she and Tara came walking over to the table. "She keeps giving me these looks like she's planning something." The redhead added the newly acquired ingredients to her other ones on the table. "Rubbing her paws together."

"Hey, what are you two doing?" Anya asked as she walked up.

"Oh, we're gonna try out a few spells." Willow said.

"There's this thing you can do where you create light, and we thought, what if you could make, like, simulated sunlight?" Tara smiled.

"Yeah, so then, you know, there Buffy is, middle of the night, and she finds this whole nest of vamps," Anya had her hands on her hips as she listened. "an-and then she just goes _Presto_!" Willow made a hand gesture.

"O-only it won't be _Presto,_ exactly."

"An-and voomph! There's a floating ball of sunlight." Willow continued. "Vamps get dusty." She smiled while moving her hands as she talked.

"You don't want to look right at it though." Tara added.

"Uh, that's swell, but you can't use this stuff." Anya looked down at the table. "Giles has only been gone two days, and you're already causing trouble." Anya raised her hands at her sides. "You shouldn't do things while he's gone." Her hands then went back to her hips as she furrowed her brows.

"You're the fish!" Willow grinned.

"What?" Anya and I asked at the same time.

"The fish in the bowl in _The Cat in the Hat._ He-he was always saying that the-the cat shouldn't be there while the mother was out."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's a book- this cat does all this mischief." Tara nodded.

"It's so cute. He balances a bunch of stuff, including that fish in the bowl. And-and- But don't try it for real when you're six." Willow pointed. "Because then you're not allowed to have fish for five years."

"You're referencing literature I have no way to be familiar with." Anya looked at the redhead. "You're trying to make me feel left out, and you're stealing."

"I'm not stealing. I'm just taking things without paying for them. In what twisted dictionary is that stealing?" Willow said and I furrowed my brows and my nose scrunched up. _'What?'_

"Willow, maybe we should just pay." Tara looked at the other witch.

"Anya, Giles would be totally fine with this. Come on. It'll be fun. We could show you how to do some stuff." Willow turned to Anya. "You could be floating pencils by the end of the day."

"Sometimes I miss having powers." Anya smiled as if she was remembering something nice. "Oh. Oh!" She got this look and pointed. "I know what this is! This is peer pressure! Any second now you're gonna make me smoke tobacco and have drugs."

"Look how easy." Willow glanced at Anya before looking to the table. A bundle of dried twigs then began to float up, followed by other items around the shop.

"Hey, don't float the merchandise." Anya pushed the things near her back down as the bell on the door jingled.

"Hey, look at this. My two favorite girls. Three favorite girls." Xander said as he saw Tara.

"I guess not everyone can be a favorite." I said while leaning over to see him.

"Is it too late to say four favorite girls?" He asked. Shaking my head, I smiled and leaned back.

"Xander, Willow's stealing. She's a burglar." Anya crossed her arms.

"Right. The cunning, broad daylight, in front of everyone burglar. Xander, I'm just doing a spell to help Buffy."

"Xander, Giles left me in charge. Tell her."

"Hey. Hey. Judge Xander requesting a recess here." The human male raised his hands.

"You really shouldn't pull him into this." Tara said.

"Yes, see? Tara's with me. Protect me, Tara." Xander pointed before standing behind the said witch.

"Xander, what I'm doing, it's a good thing." Willow said while taking a mortar and pestle to the front counter. "And if it doesn't work, Giles never even needs to know about it." She took a pinch of whatever was in the mortar and tossed at the cash register. It went up in a poof of red smoke as it vanished. "Oops."

"The cash register!" Anya hurried over and I rose to my feet to get a closer look. "What did you do with the cash register? Dear god!"

"Uh-uh, I'll fix it! I'll fix it! _Recursat_." Willow waved a hand. The cash register reappeared....but it was ruined. Smoking, even. "There. All back. Good as new."

"Money. Did you hurt the money?" Anya quickly checked the register. "Money good? She endangered the money!" The ex-demon looked to Xander as he raised his shoulders and put his hands into his pockets.

"Of course, that's what she cares about. _'I like money better than people. People can so rarely be exchanged for goods and/or services.'_ " Willow mocked Anya. _'Wow, what happened between these two?'_ I mentally wondered.

"She's pretending to me!"

"Well, can you even believe how she's acting?"

"Okay, you know what? I'm tired of being the one in the middle. I'm not gonna let you pull me into this."

"I'm not." Willow said quietly.

"Whatever the issue is between you two, just figure it out without me." Xander then walked away.

"Xander, don't go." Anya looked upset, and he kept walking until he was out the door.

"You made him mad." Willow glanced at Anya.

"Me?"

"Tara, who do you think he was more mad at?" The redhead looked to her girlfriend.

"Um, you know? I think, uh, maybe...."

"Maybe you guys have some stuff you need to work out." I finished and Tara nodded.

"You know, just really talk." Tara continued before leaving.

"Call me if you need me, but you two could use some space, so I'm gonna, you know, follow their lead." I pointed towards the door as I was walking.

~

"They get in these fights, and they're both lookin' at me like I'm the referee." Xander was saying as I walked up behind him. "Also, sometimes I'll say something about Anya, and Willow'll get this look, this, uh, what-the-Hell-do-you-see-in-her look." I couldn't see who he was talking to, but I kept quiet to see if I could sneak up on him.

"I know that look. A lot of people never really got Dru, you know?"

"Well, she was insane." I said while standing next to Xander. The human sort of jumped, making me grin, and Spike looked down at me.

"Aud? What are you doing here?" Xander looked down at me.

"Wanted to know if you needed a _'bro'_ to talk to." I gave air-quotations.

"Um....no offense, Aud, but you're not a _bro_."

"So I don't got the right parts, doesn't mean I can't play the role. But I see you already got someone to fill those shoes." I jerked my head towards Spike while crossing my arms.

"No, no shoes being filled by me. Nope. Just lendin' an ear, that's all."

"Whatever. Go on, then." I looked back at Xander and the man sighed while holding a pool cue.

"It's like, well, I get all torn because Willow's my best friend, and I really value her opinion, but, uh, Anya's my girlfriend, you know?"

"Yeah." Spike nodded. "What does the Slayer think of all this friction in the ranks? Can't be good for morale." He said while walking around the pool table.

"I don't know." Xander shrugged.

"She's a little preoccupied, maybe. It's understandable, what with all the upset, all the blaming of innocent bystanders that got caught up in the mess...." I raised a brow at Spike.

"Innocent, my ass." I popped off.

"What?" Xander asked.

"I mean, did she want to be made a fool of?" Spike walked back. "And what does a person have to do to make it right?" He questioned. "Hey, watch it, mate." The vampire turned to the big guy who bumped into him. "On second thought, do what you like." He said once he saw it was a large demon.

"Ale! Yes!" The green guy cheered after sniffing the air. "Ahh, fragrant ale." He walked up to a guy carting in two kegs. "Ahh." The demon picked one up and bit it open before drinking.

"So, uh, think I should run and get Buffy?" Xander asked as we all stared at the big guy with a hammer.

"Ahh." The demon burped as he threw down the keg. "Barmaid," He pointed with his hammer. "bring me stronger ale....and some plump, succulent babies to eat."

"I'm gonna run and get Buffy, or maybe you could fight him." Xander patted Spike's shoulder.

"Yeah, I could do that, but I'm paralyzed with not caring very much."

"You there!" The demon aimed his hammer in our direction and Xander stepped back, blocking my view. "Do you know where there are babies?" He asked while walking over.

"What do you think, the hospital?" Spike looked back at Xander while asking.

"What? Shut up." Xander told him. "Um, listen."

"I find myself very hungry. And when I am hungry, I grow short of patience."

"Well, we can take care of the hungry. So, how's about you just sit down in one of the sturdier chairs, and we could have a calm talk and something to eat." The human male pointed towards some seats.

"Can it be babies?" The demon asked with a grin.

"Well, not so much."

"Oh."

"But maybe....some roast pigs and stags....and much hearty grog." Xander tried persuading the big guy.

"They've got this onion thing." Spike said.

"You cannot appease me! Do not try! More ale!" He went and grabbed the other keg.

"Aud, how about you? Think you can take this guy?" Xander asked without looking away from the demon.

"Not without letting some demon show-there's too many people here. If we can somehow get them out, I probably could." After I said that, we all three backed away from the pool table.

"Xander, you shouldn't be here. There's a troll." Anya and Willow came into the _Bronze_.

"Uh, a big guy? Hammer? I think I noticed him." Xander pointed.

"I wish Buffy was here." Willow held onto her book tightly.

"I'm here." And like magic, Buffy was there and so was Tara....

"I wish I had a million dollars." Willow smiled. "Just checking." She said after we looked at her.

"What's going on? Where did he come from?" Buffy pointed at the Troll.

"Hello, Buffy." Spike glanced at the Slayer, but sort of stood behind me- it was as if he was hiding in case Buffy was mad at him still from the whole Riley incident. _'I'm not getting in the way of that....'_ I thought.

"Willow stole ingredients and released him from a purple crystal-he's a troll." Anya quickly said.

"Wait, you did this?" Buffy looked to the redhead.

"Me? No, we. I mean, us. Her. I-It's very complex." Willow pointed a thumb at Anya.

"We can stop him. Willow, do the spell." The ex-demon waved a hand at the book in Willow's arms.

"Uh, _'Let the conjuring be-_ "

"Stop!" The troll shouted.

"Nobody lets me finish." Willow furrowed her brows.

"You....told the witch to do that, Anyanka." The troll pointed with his hammer. "You seem determined to put an end to all my fun, just like you always did when we were dating!" There was a pause as we all looked at Anya.

"Uh, um-"

"You dated him?" Xander pointed from Anya to the troll.

"You dated a troll?" Buffy and I questioned at the same time.

"And we're, what, surprised by this?" Willow asked.

"W-well, he wasn't a troll then. You know, he was just a big, dumb guy, and....you know, he cheated on me, and I made him into a troll. Which, by the way, is how I got the job as a Vengeance Demon." The troll roared before crashing his hammer down on a display counter, making people scream and run away.

"I did not cheat!" He said. "Not in my heart." The troll added. "It was only one wench. I had had a great deal of mead. Next thing I know, I'm a troll."

"Actually, that is technically cheating, so, yeah, you're just making excuses now." I raised a finger while pointing to the ceiling. The troll glared at me and I raised my hands defensively. "What? I was just sayin'."

"Ohh, ohh. You did this Anyanka. You will die for this!" He pointed his hammer again.

"But-but, you seem to enjoy the-the being a troll.

"I adjusted." The green guy nodded. "And then what happened? Witches- filthy, dirty, disgusting witches. They trapped me. I was imprisoned in that crystal for centuries. Ohh!" He shifted on his feet. "A curse on all witches! All must die!"

"Willow, again." Buffy said.

"Uh- _'Let the conjuring be undone, return the beast to native form.'_ "

"Witch, you must stop." The green guy stepped forward.

" _'Keep him far from us and ours as long as my voice shall sound.'_ " Nothing happened.

"It did not work." The troll laughed.

"Okay, wait. _'Let the conjuring-'_ " The demon raised his hammer, about to hit Willow, but Buffy kicked him back.

"Okay, fight time!" I nodded and followed the Slayer. We'd alternate in attacks, ducking whenever the troll swung his hammer or fist. When Buffy kicked him, I grabbed the off-balance demon and tossed him onto the pool table. Pushing the hammer towards his throat, the troll pushed back. It was a short battle of brute strength until he jerked back and swung the hammer.

Flying back, I crashed into Buffy. There was loud clanging as we scrambled back to our feet. The second floor in _The Bronze_ came crashing down after the troll knocked out the beams holding it up. Too bad Buffy and I were underneath it.

People were screaming, running around, and I didn't move so I could listen. _'Where's Buffy?'_ I thought, trying to find her. It was completely dark since I was covered with debris, but I managed to hear Buffy as she was freeing herself. I sighed with relief before moving my head around to see if I could spot some sort of light to tell me which way to go.

"Where is he?" I heard Buffy ask with a loud and hurried voice as I moved a bit. I was checking to see what my range of motion was and if any of my limbs had been pinned or chopped off in the collapse.

"Gone." Willow answered.

"Xander, follow him. Anya, Willow, head back to the magic shop. Find a spell that will actually stop him."

"Wait, where's Aud?"

"What? She's not out here?"

"Aud!"

"Yeah, keep shouting-I need to know which way is up!" I raised my voice.

"Okay, um, this way....?" Buffy sounded like she was asking a question rather than stating a fact. Wiggling around, I managed to get my palms against the large piece of floor over me. It lifted up as far as my arms could reach out, but I only saw a sliver of light. It was too big to just push off of me. _'All right, plan **B**.'_

Dropping the floor as I swung a fist, I punched a hole through the thick wood. Crawling out, I saw _The Bronze_ was in chaos. People were running, screaming, pulling others out from under the fallen second floor. It was a sight that could make anyone want to kill the troll.

When Buffy saw me, she nodded and went to help people. I stood where I was, turning my head to different sides to listen for heart beats under the debris. Lifting up beams and chunks of the second floor, other people would pull the injured out. By the time everyone was free and receiving care, Buffy was already gone.

At the Magic Box, I walked in, tired and a little frustrated because of all the people complaining to me about their problems like I could do something about them. Hell, a few even threatened to sue me even though I was helping them.

Looking up when I heard glass shattering, I saw the troll hammer falling in the glass display counter. That, and the Magic Box was a wreck.

"Oops." Buffy cringed.

"The place is trashed enough anyway." Xander shrugged.

"Well, see how well things worked out? And look at you guys-" Buffy began to tear up. _'Whoa, what happened while I was gone?'_ "So good and alive and together. So together and good....and alive. Oh, God." She sniffled while grabbing a tissue. "I'm-I'm just so happy for you." Buffy then began to cry.

"Okay....how about you guys go home-or the hospital-" I added when I saw Xander's arm. "I'll do a little cleaning before I lock up." I waved at the destroyed shop.

"Are you sure? Uh, we can help." Willow said and Tara nodded.

"Nah," I waved a hand and smiled. "you guys need some rest."

"But-but you got squished-not literally, but still." Xander furrowed his brows at me.

"Yeah, you were completely covered by the second floor." Anya furrowed her brows. "But you don't have a single scratch on you."

"I guess I'm just that tough." I shrugged. "Anyways, get out. I got this covered." Putting my hands on my hips, I looked at everyone. "I'm a half-demon, I can handle it." They sort of looked at me while Buffy was crying, but left anyways since Xander really did need to see a doctor. Once they were all gone, I set to work cleaning and fixing the Magic Box to its former self.


	31. Hot temptations

"Here. I'll get that. Sorry." Buffy said while taking all the chip and snack bags out of a chair. She had sort of nested in the living room after Riley had left, and I didn't dare disturb her....whatever it is you call it by cleaning it up. There were even a few take-out containers still on the coffee table.

"It's okay, Buffy. It's just us." Tara said a all of the Scoobies were gathered in the living room, sitting on the couch and various chairs. While Buffy was picking up a few things, however, she found a sweater.

"That must've belonged to, uh-" Xander began, but cut himself off when he saw the way Buffy was looking at it. "Um, aren't we supposed to have a meeting?"

"Uh, yes, yes. We're here for a reason." Pops took off his glasses. "Um, I've had some rather-um, I've had some news." He leaned on the mantle. "It seems the council of Watchers has....found some information that may help us out."

"About Glory?" Buffy asked as she sat down.

"Presumably. We'll find that out when they arrive. Could be very important."

"Arrive?" Buffy raised her brows.

"They're coming here?" I asked while looking at Pops.

"Now? W-w-why do they have to come here?" Buffy questioned.

"Yeah, don't they have phones?" Xander then mocked an English accent. "'Allo, Buffy. Here's some stuff we know. Pip pip."

"Yeah! Phones. See, I'd like them on phones."

"W-well, what's so bad about them coming here? Aren't they good guys?" Tara looked confused. "I mean, Watchers. That's just like other Gileses, right?"

"Yeah! They're scary and horrible!" Buffy said and Pops made a face.

"Um, well, they can appear a bit, well, um, hard-nosed, but essentially their agenda is the same as ours. They want to save the world and kill demons."

"Including me every now and then." I joked.

"Kill the _current_ demons, right? _Current_ demons." Anya asked.

"Giles, I don't want them to come here. I don't trust them. Make them not come here." Buffy looked at Giles.

"They're probably already on their way." Pops looked around. "O-our old friend Quentin Travers is heading up the delegation."

"They put me through that test and almost killed me. An-and when I was Faith, they almost killed me again." Buffy said. "Honestly, I really can't handle almost being killed right now."

"I don't like the sound of this. They don't sound very ex-demon compatible." Anya looked around.

"Are you sure they're English?" Tara asked. "I thought English people were, uh, gentler....than normal people."

"Tara, _Spike's_ English." I stated. "And he's _an_ **_asshole._** "

"Maybe it won't be so bad this time. I mean, Buffy, they did think you were Faith last time. Now that they know you're just you, maybe they won't care enough to kill you." Willow grinned.

"It's not just that. They're going to screw everything up. I-it's a delicate time right now. I have to take care of Dawn-"

"But that's not new. You've always taken care of her." Xander waved a hand.

"Right. Right. I-I know that. It's just, there's Glory, and I don't need the Council looking over my shoulder when I don't even know what we're dealing with."

"Well, that's precisely why we need to talk to them." Pops told Buffy.

"Dawn? Are you listening?" Buffy turned in her chair when she heard her mother and sister talking on the stairs.

"I can get a snack if I want to." Dawn said before going back upstairs.

"She was listening." Buffy turned back around.

"Does it matter? I mean, is she really gonna set the junior high school buzzing with, _'Ooh, there's a delegation a-comin'_." Willow raised a fist.

"No. I-I guess not." The Slayer shifted in her seat. "You know, it's just, sometimes we say stuff and-and-it's all good. Giles, you were saying....something."

"Um, just that if the Council knows something about Glory, her agenda or origins, then-then maybe it will help us get a-a grip on what we're dealing with. I mean, right now, I think we're-we're a bit lost." Pops said while looking at Buffy.

"Oh, and by the way, guys," I sort of cringed. "I got a tiny favor to ask of you." They looked at me. "If the Council asks, could you not tell them about how I've been fighting?"

"Why?" Anya asked.

"They barely let me out of England, let alone their clutches. They aren't big on not being in control of me."

"They already know, Aud." Pops sighed.

"What? How?"

"I had to give a full report on your current status. It was sort of an exchange in information."

"And they aren't mad?"

"No, but they do want to reevaluate your psyche after you've been fighting other demons." Pops looked at me as I sighed.

"Great...." I said as my shoulders slumped.

~

"Magic Box shoppers, we're going to have to ask you to leave now. The store is, uh, closing early today." I heard an accented man saying as I walked out of the training room.

"Hey! Giles, what are they doing?" Anya looked to Pops as the people were leaving. "Customers! Please bring your money back!"

"You knew you were going to do this before you even saw the place." Pops was telling someone and I saw it was Quentin.

"I'm sorry. It's just for the duration of the Council's review."

"Council? You're the Council?" Anya went wide eyed as I began to step carefully back into the training room, hoping no one had seen me. "Welcome to our store. We're closed now. I'll be in the back." Anya walked away.

"Aud, how nice to see you again." Quentin rose his voice as I was turning.

"Hey, didn't see you there!" I put on a big grin while walking out. Standing next to Pops, I put my hands on my hips. "So, I heard something about a review?"

"I thought you didn't see me here." The old man gave a slight smile while shifting in his chair. Clearing my throat, I looked at the other Council members in the shop.

"Sadly, that doesn't mean I didn't hear you."

"What review? Quentin, let's just stop a moment and talk about this." Pops was clearly getting his feathers ruffled by the Council already.

"Miss, excuse me. You, uh, you work here?" Quentin called and Anya turned around before she made it to safety.

"Yes, I do, ever since I moved her from southeastern Indiana, where I was raised by both a mother and a father." Her words sounded rehearsed.

"Anya, just go. You don't have to talk to him." Pops raised a hand. "She works for me. Now, tell me about this review." Pops looked back at Quentin. "No one said anything to me about this." He stood right in front of the old man.

"Let's sit down and talk about it over here." Quentin got up and went over to the table. The other Council members sort of stood around while one of them was pouring tea.

"You all stand around and look somber." Pops waved a hand before putting his hands into his pockets. I followed him, glancing at each face above a suit. "Good job."

"You used to respect us, Giles. You used to be one of us." Quentin said.

"You used to pay me. If I recall, firing me was not my idea."

"Touche." The old man nodded. "But you were on the inside once. You know what sort of resources we command." Quentin sat down as a suit brought over a briefcase. "We've discovered information about this creature, your Glory." He talked while the suit pulled a file from the case and placed it in front of Quentin. "Some of it is clearly vital," The one pouring tea set a cup down for the old man. "the rest merely extremely disturbing. And it won't be handed over until we are convinced that you and your Slayer are prepared for it. Thus the review."

"I'm not having you put her through another one of your insane tests." Pops said as he placed his hands on the table and glared.

"It's not a test. It's a check of her methods. We need to know that this information is safe."

"You can trust her." I stated while crossing my arms.

"Buffy's come very far recently. She's acquired a remarkable focus." Pops stood back up. After that, Pops took Quentin and the Council members into the back training room to show it to them and talk about Buffy. A dirty blonde woman with black glasses stayed with me out in the shop to start my psyche evaluation.

She seemed a little jumpy whenever I moved, but I guess that wasn't new. She knew what I was, but not who I am.

"Okay, let's begin." She pulled out a pen and a clip board. She didn't give off the psychologist vibe, so I assumed she was just going off questions printed out for her. "Name?"

"It's on the name tag....you know, the one right here that I'm wearing?" I raised a brow while showing it to her.

"Aud Giles. No middle name?"

"Don't need one."

"Okay, race?"

"Human and demon hybrid."

"Race of demon?" She looked up at me.

"Unknown." I sighed. "Why are you asking this? The Council already knows all of this and it's not gonna magically change."

"It's protocol." She went back to the clipboard. "Do you have a positive attitude towards yourself?" She asked.

"Most of the time, yeah. The other times, no because I dropped my food." She sort of looked at me before asking another question.

"Do you feel useless at times?"

"Physically, no. I'm quite capable. Emotionally, maybe. I don't always say the right thing when a friend is feelin' down." I sighed while leaning on the table- the woman sort of flinched.

"Do you like helping others?"

"Depends on who you're talkin' about. I don't like helping bad guys." Her pen went across the paper as she wrote stuff down. "And I say bad guys to show you the broadness of what I'm referring to." She nodded.

"Are you easily angered?"

"What? No. Pops taught me self-control."

"Pops?" She raised a brow at me while looking over the top of her glasses. I cleared my throat before answering.

"Giles. Rupert Giles, you know, the man in there with your buddies."

"You're....his daughter? I thought you were a distant family member."

"Geez, didn't they tell you anything?" I asked. "Rupert adopted me when I was little and with the Council's help, raised me. That's why they haven't, you know...." Trailing off, I drug my thumb across my throat.

"I see." She looked back down. "During tough times, do you find yourself more prone to unhealthy behaviors?"

"Um...." I thought about it. "No. No, I don't."

"Do you present yourself in ways that are different from who you really are?"

"I look human right now, don't I?" I popped off. "Have to or humans would go crazy."

"Humans? Do you not identify yourself as a human?"

"Can't, I have demon blood in my veins. Plus, what human can grow a tail and fangs?"

"So you identify as a demon?"

"No, I also have human in me. I identify as both, but neither at the same time." Putting my cheek in my hand, I looked at her. "'Tis the life of the half-breeds. You belong to both, yet you belong to neither. You straddle the line between the two, but you can never do any more than that." She glanced up at me as I talked.

"People think being a hybrid means you have a place in two worlds, but all it really means is you are stuck in the middle. I can tell myself that I'm a human, or I'm a demon, but I know that's not true. I'm both, mixed, an abomination to some even." I paused. "Look, I'm not going to lose who I am and go dark side. Even if I have no place as a human or as a demon, I do have a place as Aud Giles-daughter of Rupert Giles and friend to the Slayer and her Slayerettes." Smiling, I pointed to the clipboard. "So, how many more questions you got?"

"Uh, j-just a few." She cleared her throat before continuing the psyche evaluation. Hours later, Pops, Quentin, and the other Council members finally came back and the questions were over.

"We've been developing a sort of a hybrid fighting style." Giles was saying while being followed. "Let me outline her progress for you, a-an-and I think you'll see that your review isn't strictly needed." The bell on the front door jingled and I looked to see Buffy.

"Bad day. Bad, bad-" She began as she was turning around.

"Miss Summers." Quentin called, stopping Buffy. "Good to see you again." He had his arms crossed as he nodded his head to her.

"Mr. Travers." Buffy stiffly walked in after closing the door.

"Giles has just been telling us of your training regimen. Perhaps you'll favor us with a demonstration while we're here."

"Right now?"

"No need to rush you."

"They're staying a little longer than I'd anticipated." Pops leaned against the checkout counter.

"We've already laid out our project for Mr. Giles." Quentin began to walk around. "Nigel."

"It's an exhaustive examination of your procedures and abilities. We'll observe your training, talk to your friends."

"Talk to my friends?" Buffy crossed her arms.

"Yes. We understand you're still taking civilians out on your patrols."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me." She rolled her eyes.

"Buffy. I can sense your resistance. I don't blame you. But I think your Watcher hasn't reminded you lately of the relative status of the players in our little game." Quentin sat down on a table. "The Council fights evil. The Slayer is the instrument by which we fight. The Council remains. The Slayers change. Been that way from the beginning."

"That's a very comforting, bloodless way of looking at it, isn't it?" Pops was being extremely sarcastic towards the Council.

"Giles, let me talk to Buffy because I think she's understanding me. Glory is stronger than you. She's a more powerful instrument, if you will. We can help you. We have information that will help. Pass the review and we give it to you without reservation. Fail the review, either through incompetence or by resisting our recommendations-"

"Resisting your recommendations?" Pops began to walk towards the old man. "She fails if we don't do whatever you say." He raised his arms out high at his sides. "How much under your thumb do you think we are?"

"How much do you want our help?" Quentin asked.

"She's not your bloody instrument, and you have no right to do any of this!" Pops pointed at Quentin, looking as if he just might hit him. A Council member stepped between Pops and the old man, pushing him back. Rising to my feet, I was ready to go if something was about to go down.

"Giles!" Buffy rose her voice. Giles forced the suit's hands off of him as he stepped back.

"I understand you think this is unfair, but there are factors which should motivate you to go along with the review. I don't want to do this, but obviously we could shut this place down permanently."

"You can't do that. You don't have that kind of power." Buffy looked at Quentin.

"Of course we do, and a great deal more. In fact, if you insist on fighting us, we'll arrange to have Mr. Giles deported within the day and Aud back in our confines. Never set foot in this country again." Pops and I looked to each other before turning to Buffy and Quentin. "Now, perhaps you're used to idle threats and sloppy discipline, Miss Summers, but you're dealing with grown-ups now. Am I making myself clear?" He asked and Buffy glanced at us.

~

"It's a power play. That's what it is." Pops was pacing back and forth in the shop while I sat at the table with Buffy. "It's about who has the power." He went to the coffee/tea table.

"I'm guessing they do." Buffy had her head resting in her hand while her elbow was on the table. "Big power outage in Buffy county."

"I should have set you loose on them. That's what I should have done." Pops looked at Buffy while holding the teapot.

"Giles, that Travers guy is, like, 60. I can't hit him." She paused. "Can I?" She turned towards Giles.

"I suppose not. But I could." He pointed with a spoon. "I think I will." Pops dropped the spoon and set down the teapot before putting his hands into his pockets.

"Can they really do the stuff they threatened-kick you guys out of the country?" Buffy asked.

"In a heartbeat." Pops took off his glasses to clean them. "See, the rough stuff, they're all right at- th-they're a bit ham-handed, but they get it done. But this, uh, stuff, the, uh, bureaucracy, the-the pulling of political strings, they're the best in the world." Pops scoffed. "They can kill you with the strike of a pen, poncy sods." Giles broke his glasses with how hard he was cleaning them.

"Am I gonna be able to get through this review?"

"Well, I-" Pops stopped before walking over and sitting down. "I suppose they'll make it as difficult as they want to." He then put his glasses back on. "The physical stuff could be a bit of a challenge." Then he remembered his glasses were broken.

"That's not what I'm worried about. It's the other stuff. Examining decisions I've made. I mean, twice now I've been within slaying distance of Glory, and twice she's kicked my ass without even tensing a muscle. And I haven't been able to figure out what she is or anything about her except that she wants the key, which I have, and I can't even figure out if it's okay for me to tell anyone that."

"Buffy, no one could have done any better than you." Pops moved his hands as he talked.

"But no one else is gonna be asked the questions that I can't answer. They're gonna expect me to-to be like a Slayer and know stuff, but I'm just me, and I don't know anything, an-and they're gonna go away, and they're not gonna tell me how to fight Glory, and I'm not gonna be able to protect Dawn." Buffy was panicking.

"Buffy, calm down." Pops looked at her. "The scandal here is not anything you've done wrong."

"It's the way _they're_ behaving, holding what they know hostage...." I added lowly.

"With a gun pointed at my bleeding green card, no less."

"And my freedom."

"It's humiliating." Pops sighed.

"Also smart. They picked the perfect things. I can't lose you guys." Buffy said softy.

"Thank you." Giles said.

"I guess I should be getting ready." Buffy sighed. "What do you think it'll be like? How do you think they'll start?"

"I don't know, but they already got my psyche evaluation over with." I glanced at Buffy.

~

"Excuse me, Miss Giles?" I heard a woman call my name as I was reading a book on Italian recipes.

"Aud is fine." Looking up, I saw the lady with glasses that had asked me so many questions for the Council.

"Aud. Yes, um, would you mind taking us to-" She paused while leaning in to make sure no one heard her since we were in the middle of a park. "Spike."

"Why do you need me to do that? He's just in the cemetery." I furrowed my brows.

"Well, it's to our understanding that you are the one that usually deals with him. A liaison, if you will, between him and the Slayer." 

"And who told you that nonsense? I'm more adept at handling his crap, that's all." I looked at her flatly. Glancing at the other Council members, I saw how heavily armed they were. "Liaison my ass, you just don't want to be alone with that damn vampire." I smirked while hopping to my feet. "I'd be happy to provide my protection to you and your....colleagues while you're there." Some of their shoulders seemed to relax after I said that, showing the relief they were feeling.

"Spike! Got some visitors for you." I raised my voice after walking into the crypt.

"Don't you people ever knock?" He rolled his eyes before standing up from his chair.

"Don't start, blood breath. These fine folks here wanna ask you some questions. Play nice unless you wanna lose a part." I waved my hand to the woman and her armed companions. Spike raised his hands defensively while smirking before looking to the humans. Then, the questions began.

"But we understand that you _help_ the Slayer." The woman had her clipboard while the other two were aiming a cross and a crossbow at the vampire. She stood behind them while I stood a little between the humans and Spike.

"I pitch in when she pays me." Spike had his arms crossed before glancing back and reaching down for his cigarette.

"She pays you? She gives you money?" Her voice held a fraction of disbelief.

"Money, a little nip of blood out of some stray victim, whatever."

"Blood?"

"Well, if they're gonna die anyway." I gave him a look and backhanded his arm. "Come to think of it, though, that's a bit scandalous, isn't it? Personally, I'm shocked. The girl's slippin'."

"Okay, no, she does _not_ give him blood." I pointed to the woman with the clipboard. "He's lying, and he knows it." Sending a small glare to the vampire, he smirked.

"But you've noticed a decline in her work?"

"Oh, yeah. See, the poor little twig can't keep a man." Spike said while giving a sympathetic look. Sighing, I just let my head fall back as I rolled my eyes. "Gets her all down. Few more disappointments, she'll be cryin' on my shoulder, mark my words." He took a drag from his cancer stick.

"Yeah, right. I'm Buffy's shoulder. You know why? Because she's my friend, not yours." I put my hands on my hips.

"Is that what you want? I think you'd want to kill her."

"What?" Spike and I said at the same time while furrowing our brows.

"Aud's pretty much her lap dog. Buffy calls and she comes a-runnin'." The vampire pointed at me with the cigarette between his fingers.

"I do not."

"I was talking about the vampire." The woman clarified. "You've killed Slayers before."

"Oh." Pausing, I nodded. "Of course you were."

"Heard of me, have you?" Spike smirked while standing up all the way. He took a few steps forward and made the armed guys tense up.

"I-I....wrote my thesis on you." The woman smiled.

"Well, well. Isn't that neat?"

"Oh, my...." I rolled my eyes at Spike again.

"It's-"

"Tell me, pet, now that we're such good friends, how's the Slayer doin'? Is she okay? High marks in all categories?" He asked.

"Hey....those are actually good questions." Crossing my arms, I turned to fully face the woman.

~

"Dawn?! Joyce?!" I quickly called as soon as I entered the Summers home. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end from the scent that greeted my nose. "Are you guys here?!" I spoke quickly and loudly while looking around for any sign of....something, anything.

"Aud, it's okay." Buffy came into view in the living room.

"What happened? What the Hell was here?"

"Aud? Are you okay?" The Slayer's face scrunched up.

"Yes, I'm fine, what happened?"

"Glory, but Dawn and mom are okay. I have them packing a bag upstairs." She looked to the ceiling. "Are you sure you're fine, your fur is kinda....fizzy."

"What?" Glancing back, I saw my tail with the fur sticking straight out. I hadn't even noticed it had grown out.... "Yeah....I'm fine."

"Aud, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Sure, anything. It's what I'm here for." I nodded while putting away my tail.

"I'm sending Dawn and mom someplace....else, and I want you to go with them."

"What? Why?" I furrowed my brows.

"To keep them safe."

"Okay, yeah, sure. Just let me grab a few things first." Nodding my head, I saw conflicting emotions in her expression.

~

"Aah!" Spike shouted while jumping up as sunlight hit his face. "Oh, it's the Slayer." He sighed. "For a second there, I was worried." He rubbed his eye with his thumb, then noticed Dawn, Joyce, and I standing by the door. "So, what's with the family outing?"

"I need your help." Buffy stepped closer while dropping her voice to where her family couldn't hear. Dawn and Joyce were busy looking around the place while I was rethinking on doing this favor for Buffy. _'Come on, you wanted to help out, this is helping out.'_ I told myself. _'Yeah, but that means I have to stay here....with Spike....'_

"Great. I need your cash."

"I'm serious. You have to look after them."

"Well, that's a boatload of manly responsibility to come flying out of nowhere. What's the matter, Slayer? You're not feeling 100%?"

"No."

"They didn't put a chip in your head, did they?"

"No."

"Be funny if they did."

"Spike, I need an answer, now. In or out?" She looked him in the eye. "You're the only one strong enough to protect them."

"Hey!" I furrowed my brows. "I'm capable!" Buffy glanced at me, giving me a look while Dawn and Joyce had no idea why I said what I did. They couldn't hear what they were saying since they only had human hearing. "Sorry, being quiet now." I zipped my lips and threw away the key.

"All right, then." Spike turned towards us and walked up with Buffy following. "Ladies, come on in. There's plenty of blood in the fridge."

"Do you mean, like, real blood?" Dawn asked while looking at the refrigerator.

"What do you think?" He gave her a look.

"Mostly, I think, ew."

"Keep Dawn here as long as you can." Buffy said while holding her mother's hands. "I'll be back soon."

"Okay." Buffy then went back to Spike.

"I don't think I need to remind you, but-"

"Yeah, yeah. _'Anything happens to 'em I'll stake you good and proper.'_ Sing me a new one sometime, eh? That bit's gone stale." The vampire looked down at Buffy. She stared at him for a few seconds before heading to the door. "Hold up, why you holdin' a bag?" He furrowed his brows while pointing at me.

"She's staying with them." Buffy said as she had a hand on the door.

"I'm here to make sure you don't mess up." I smirked. "Manly responsibility, right?"

"You'll still watch them, right?" Buffy asked and Spike sort of gulped.

"Yeah. Sure." He nodded and the Slayer left. Everyone just kind of awkwardly stood around before Joyce attempted to break the ice.

"I love what you've, um, neglected to do with the place." She said.

"Just don't break anything." The bleached blonde nodded before walking over to the TV. Crouching down, he continued to speak. "And don't make a lot of noise. _Passions_ is coming on." He said while turning on the TV.

" _Passions_?" Joyce walked over. "Oh, do you think Timmy's really dead?" She looked at Spike.

"Oh, no, no." He pointed to the chair. "She can just sew him back together." Joyce and Spike simultaneously sat on the arms of the chair. "He's a doll, for God's sake."

"Ah, what about the wedding? I mean there's no way they're gonna go through with that." Joyce asked as Dawn sighed while rolling her eyes.

"Hey, wanna play a card game?" My voice was low and I slipped a deck of cards out of my pocket.

"Sure." The little Summers girl nodded and we went to a bench to play.


	32. Sweet sensations

"Look, I know mom wants to gather and make with the merry tomorrow night, but with everything that's going on-"

"This is exactly what you need-" Willow cut Buffy off. "A 20th Birthday party with-with presents and funny hats, and-and those candles that don't blow out." She said while sitting down at the table and looking at the Slayer. "Those used to scare me." Willow leaned over towards Tara.

"Me too." She smiled.

"I just don't think this is the best time to break out the party pinata. We need to stay focused if we're gonna find a way to stop Glory."

"We're going up against a god. And actual mightier-than-thou god." Xander moved his hands a little.

"Well, you know what they say: the bigger they are-"

"The faster they stomp you into nothing." Anya raised her eyebrows. Everyone gave the ex-demon a look.

"She's right. I've thrown everything I've got at her and she just shrugs it off."

"Then we have to find something heavier to throw." Willow suggested.

"That might pose some difficulty. From what the Council's been able to discover from the _Book of Tarnis_ and-and other sources, Glory and two of her fellow Hell-gods ruled over one of the more seriously unpleasant demon dimensions."

"There's more than one?" Tara asked.

"Oh, there are thousands of demon dimensions. All different." Anya nodded.

"All pushing on the edges of our reality, trying to find a way in."

"I guess Glory found one. The question is, why?"

"There's nothing to indicate that here. Just vague references to chaos and destruction." Pops got up when the kettle began to whistle.

"Okay, so, we know where Glory's from. What do we know about _her_?" Buffy questioned. "You know, she's tough, yeah, but no bolts of lightening, no blasts of fire. Shouldn't a god be able to do that kind of stuff?" She glanced at each of us.

"Usually, yes. But, um, being in human form must be severely limiting her powers."

"Sort of like how I can't breathe fire unless my body is at a certain temperature." I piped up.

"Yes. An-and all we have to worry about right now is that she's immortal, invulnerable and insane."

"A crazy Hell-god? And the fun just keeps on leaving!" Xander shook his head.

"What I've been able to gather, her living in this world is....seriously affecting her mental state as well. She's only been able to keep her mind intact by extracting energy from us." Then Pops glanced at me. "Well, from-from the human brain."

"So she'e-she's a brain-sucker?"

"She, um, _'absorbs the energies that bind the human mind into a cohesive whole.'_ " Pops pointed to the file while reading. "Once drained, all that's left behind is, uh-"

"Crazy people."

"Which is, I'm afraid, why there's been a marked increase in the ranks of the mentally unstable here in Sunnydale."

"At least vampires just kill you." Tara said.

"We have to find a way to stop her." Buffy rose to her feet.

"Oh, well, Tara and I can work on some tactical spells." Willow offered.

"I can do some research. I know _way_ more about demon dimensions than Giles does." There was a pause. "Well, I do." Anya looked at Pops.

"This is great long-term plan-y stuff, but what about this key thingy Glory's looking for?" Xander asked while Buffy had a cup of tea.

"Yeah, I mean, shouldn't we be trying to find it before she does?" Tara questioned and Buffy, Pops, and I exchanged glances.

"I don't think that's what we should be worrying about right now." Buffy shook her head.

"They've got a point." The redhead said. "Whatever Glory's planning on opening with the key, I'm guessing it won't be filled with candy and flowers."

"So where should we start looking? Do we know where it used to be kept? Who saw it last?" Xander looked around at us.

"We did." Buffy spoke up. "Aud, Giles, and me. We-we know where it is."

"You what?"

"You know? And you didn't tell us?" Willow's brows knit together.

"There were reasons." Pops took off his glasses.

"Look, it-it Glory knew that you guys knew where it was, I-I just didn't want to put you in that kind of danger." Buffy said as she sat back down from pacing.

"As opposed to the other kind we're always in?"

"You should have said something."

"Wil, there-" Buffy cut herself off as she looked at the redheaded witch. "You're right." She then looked at Giles. "It's time."

"Are you sure?"

"They're gonna be risking their lives. They deserve to know."

"Know what?" Xander asked.

"There's something that you need to know....about Dawn."

~

"Prezzies!" Buffy grinned while sitting down in front of the coffee table.

"See, just what you needed."

"You are very, very wise. Now, gimme, gimme, gimme!" The Slayer reached for the present in Tara's arms.

"This is extremely suspenseful. I want the presents." Anya was giddy with excitement.

"Oh! It's beautiful. Thank you, guys." Buffy looked at Willow and Tara while holding up a dress.

"We thought you get lots of crossbows and other kill-y stuff." Tara crossed her arms.

"Yeah, so we figured less kill-y, more frilly."

"Gotta look." Anya picked up the dress after Buffy had set it down. "Oh, it's just so lovely! Oh, I wish it was mine." There was a pause. "Oh, like you weren't all thinking the same thing." She put it back down.

"I'm fairly certain I wasn't." Pops smirked. "I've got one just like it." He said in a soft, serious tone.

"Here. Open mine." Dawn handed over her gift for Buffy.

"It's not gonna explode, it is?" Buffy asked before opening it.

"It's when we visited dad that summer in San Diego." Dawn said as Buffy held the picture and shell covered frame. "Um, I put the shells on it myself. We picked them off the beach." The little Summers nodded as the Slayer got a sad look in her eyes.

"I remember."

"Well, geez, don't get all movie-of-the-week." She said after seeing the guys' faces. "I was just too cheap to buy you a real present."

"Thank you." Buffy smiled while standing up and hugged her little sister. She then went through her other presents and I gave mine to her last.

"I hope you like it, I couldn't think of anything else...." I mumbled while handing it to her. Buffy took the gift and opened it. She just stared at the canvas, looking at it while tilting her head. Her eyes seemed to look all over the painting, seeing every detail. I had painted a close-up of a woman made of smoke holding a dark candle with a flame of water instead of fire. Her eyes were completely black, and it came out so well that it looked as if you could reach out and your hand would just go through the smoke woman.

"Wow...." She simply said. "How'd you....how'd you do this?"

"Uh," I awkwardly smiled while scratching the back of my head. "Pops encouraged me to explore various ways of entertaining myself, and the Council did as well. So, painting, the piano, sculpting, singing- Hell, even the goddamn harp-were some of the things I was taught to do. Obviously," I gestured to the canvas. "I really enjoyed painting.

"The harp?" Buffy scrunched up her face.

"Uh, yeah. Claws make it easy to pluck strings." Wiggling my fingers, I made a face.

~

"Why does everybody start acting all weird when I'm around?" Dawn asked after getting some plates for the cake.

"Me? Me not weird." Xander said.

"I'm not an idiot. I know you're talking about me."

"No, no, we really weren't." Xander replied while putting a hand on his cast.

"We were talking about sex." Anya had her hands in her pockets.

"They were talking about me, just like everybody is." Dawn looked at her mom as Buffy, Joyce, and Pops came back from the kitchen.

"Again, not so much. In fact, none." Xander raised a hand.

"We were talking about sex. I mean, you know us. Sometimes we like to pretend stuff." Anya switched her hands to her back pockets.

"Anya-" Xander got this look on his face and I cringed.

"You know, like, say there's a fireman or a shepherd-" And that was when I walked out of the room and covered my ears so I wouldn't have to hear any of it. After a few minutes-when I could be sure the conversation topic had changed-I went back to the living room.

When Buffy's party was over and everyone was going home, I headed off to bed before Buffy and Joyce. I hadn't got much sleep since Glory showed up in the Summers home since I had to go to Spike's crypt and because her scent had lingered in the house. Since her scent alone was enough to put me on edge with my instincts, whenever I heard the slightest noise whenever I tried to sleep, I woke up. Now that it had finally faded, I was hoping for a good night's rest.

~

"We need answers, Giles. We need to find out everything we can about the key- what's it for, who created it." Buffy said as we sat around at the Magic Box. Apparently, last night, Dawn had somehow found out who-or what-she really was.

"And why Glory has a big girl-god jones for it."

"This isn't about her." Buffy looked at Xander. "It's about Dawn."

"She deserves to know where she came from." I added. "Knowing her, she _needs_ to know, or it's just gonna eat away at her."

"How did she find these?" Pops asked while holding his journals. "How did she get in here-"

"Eww!" Anya interrupted as she stood next to Giles. "Who's been using the _Urn of Ishtar_ as an ashtray?" She pulled a half smoked cigarette and we all got the same idea as to who. Buffy and I left without saying a word and we both knew exactly what was on each other's minds.

Busting into Spike's crypt, I saw him painting his nails black while sitting on a concrete casket. _'You son of a bitch!'_ My mind growled as I walked over with a scowl on my face.

"Mornin', Sunshine. If you've come around for eggs or sausage, I'm fresh out." He droned while not looking up from what he was doing. Pulling the concrete lid the vampire was seated on, he rolled back into the grave. "Hey, careful! These are wet." His head popped back up as he raised his hands. Growling, I pushed the lid back, pinning him in the casket. He got a look of shock or surprise as I bared my fangs at him.

"How could you let her find out out like that?!" Buffy glared while crossing her arms as she looked down at Spike. "From books and papers? You hate me that much?"

"I was just along for the ride." He said while looking from me to Buffy and back. "Not like I knew she was mystical glow-y key thing. Nobody keeps me in the bloody loop, do they?" Spike asked as I held the concrete lid firmly in place.

"You could have stopped her." Buffy shook her head. Giving another growl, I took my hands off of the slab and glared.

"Oh, yeah, here it comes." He glanced up at Buffy while raising his brows. "Something goes wrong in your life, blame Spike. News flash, _blondie_." The vampire tossed the lid off of him and stood up. "If kid sis wants to grab a midnight stroll," He began to walk closer, stepping over the skeleton below his feet. "she'll find a way sooner or later. I just thought she'd be safer with ' _Big Bad'_ looking over her shoulder."

"She shouldn't have found out like that." I said.

"You didn't think you could keep the truth from her forever, did you? Maybe if _you_ had been more honest with her in the first place," Spike raised his voice while pointing at Buffy. "you wouldn't be trying to make yourself feel better with a round of _'Kick the Spike.'_ " He looked at both of us. That was when Buffy just walked away.

"I get that your intentions were good, but you aren't. That's why you aren't kept in the loop. You only help if you're paid, which shows a lot about your character." I spoke in an eerily calm voice. "And just like you said, you're evil- the only thing holding you back is the _'bloody chip',_ right?" Then I turned and left.

~

"We can't just let her sit up there all alone." Joyce said as she looked up at the stairs.

"She needs time. We can't force her to be all right with this." Buffy had this look in her eyes as her mom turned to face her.

"That's your answer? Just leave her alone and hope that everything works itself out?"

"No. But if I was her, I'd want a little bit of time right now." Buffy was making a point. "I wouldn't want my mother and my sister coming at me from all sides."

"Buffy's right." I looked up from my seat. With my elbows on my needs, I put my hands together. "When I finally realized Pops wasn't really, well, _my_ **biological** Pops, it took some time before I even left my room or talked to anyone." There was a quiet pause.

"Her school called today. She was suspended." Joyce said. "She yelled at a teacher. The things she said, Buffy. I mean, she never used language like that."

"She probably feels like she can say or do anything right now. She's not real. We're not her family. We don't even know what she is."

"How can you talk about Dawn as if she's a thing?" Joyce rose to her feet while furrowing her brows.

"I'm not! I-I'm just saying that's probably how she feels."

"Well, then, we have to show her that it isn't true. She needs to know that she's still a part of this family and that we love her."

"It's not that simple. We're not gonna be able to fix this with a hug and a kiss and a bowl of soup. Dawn needs to know where she came from." Buffy looked up at her mother.

"She needs real answers." I added quietly and Joyce sat back down.

"What she needs is her sister, Buffy. Not the Slayer."

"The Slayer is the only thing standing between Dawn and this god from the bitch dimension that wants to shove her in some kind of lock and give her a good twirl." The young blonde didn't sugarcoat her words. "Mom, I need to be out there-"

"Dawn!" Jumping to my feet, I ran upstairs when I smelled smoke and a few seconds later the smoke alarm began to go off as I rushed to Dawn's room where the scent was coming from. Kicking open the door, I went into the young girl's room and saw a fire in her trashcan. "Dawn?!" I called as Buffy and Joyce came in.

"Damn it!" The Slayer cursed as I rushed to the open window.

"Take care of the fire-I'll track Dawn." Jumping out the window, I landed on all fours on the ground. Sniffing around where she would have climbed down from, I learned that Dawn knew how to slow me down in tracking her. All around where I had landed was sprayed heavily with- "Achoo!"

~

"She tore up her room. She burned all of her diaries." Buffy told the guys while I sat at the table, grumbling to myself and sneezing while clinging to a box of tissues.

"The _Dawnmeister Chronicles_?" Xander asked.

"Oh, she's been keeping those since-I mean-" Willow began.

"Since she was seven. I remember too, Wil." Buffy sat down at the table with me. "We have to find her, and fast. Before Glory or the knights of _'Hack and Slash'_ figure out what-who she really is." My tail stuck straight out as I sneezed. "Mom's gonna stay at home in case she shows up. I figure we split up and sweep the city."

"Yeah, uh, would've already had her if she hadn't done what she did." I sniffed. "Who told her my nose was sensitive to perfume, anyways?" My eyebrows knit together as I looked around.

"Perfume?" Spike looked at me.

"Shit, you're still here." I sneezed. "Ugh, whatever." Rolling my eyes, I sat up all the way. "Yeah, perfume. I can't track if there's strong perfume- it messes up my nose and causes me to go into sneezing fits. How else do you think you got the drop on me when you and Harmony were trying to get the chip out of your head?" Buffy cleared her throat.

"I might have. I told her not to wear the strong stuff in the house since you were moving in with us...."

"Thanks, Buffy." I gave a thumbs up while sniffing.

"Anya, will you stay here in case she shows up?" And we went back to receiving instructions from the Slayer. "Xander, Giles, you guys take the center of town. Willow, Tara, west side. Spike, you and I will get the east side. Just find her....please."

"Wait, what about me? My sniffer's clearing up." I rose to my feet while everyone else did as well.

"You can just....how far can you pick up a scent?" Buffy asked.

"Dunno."

"Well, just go places you'd think she'd go, see if you can pick up her scent anywhere."

"I guess when you can't think of something, go with anything." I nodded and we all headed out to our separate ways.

Wondering around town and visiting all the places I had gone with Dawn, I managed to pick up her scent as I was crossing a street. Jerking my head to the side, I inhaled deeply through my nose. The scent of Dawn was laced with the smell of tears and sorrow. _'She's crying....'_ I thought before following the trail.

Soon, I found myself in the hospital. Sniffing, I walked past the mental ward and the break room for employees. Dawn had entered both places, but had also exited. A second later, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I picked up another scent. _'Glory!'_ I then began to run.

"Dawn!" I slid to a halt in a room full of x-rays up on the walls. Standing in front of the little Summers girl was a woman in a red dress. The smell coming off of her told me that this....this woman in front of me was the Hell-god Glory. "Back away from her." I snarled, flashing my fangs.

"And who are you?" She smiled while looking at me.

"Aud!" Dawn gasped while seeing my claws and ears point out.

"What's odd?" Glory asked, looking from Dawn then to me. "No, not odd." She smirked. "Aud. What a strange name. Hey, aren't you a demon? What's a demon doing here to help the Slayer's sister?"

"That doesn't matter." And I went at her with my fist drawn back.

"You know, it's not nice to attack people. They put animals like you down for that." Glory chuckled as she grabbed me by the throat and lifted me up off the ground. Coughing as she squeezed her hand, I grabbed her wrist and tried to pull myself free, but she was too strong.

"No! Stop it!" Dawn screamed as I began to kick my legs out.

"Oh, pretty tail. Where'd you get it?"

"Get away from my sister." Buffy's voice was clear as I heard the footsteps of the whole Scooby gang rush in.

"Slayer!" Glory smiled.

"Aud?!"

"Yeah, that's me." I coughed. "Mind giving me a hand here? Her grip is insane!" Next thing I saw was a small fist coming up and hitting the Hell-god with an upper-cut. "Thanks." I sighed while rubbing my throat after Glory had dropped me. Buffy and the god exchanged blows before the Slayer crashed Glory into a shelf full of glass and she kicked Buffy away. Jumping in, I managed to land some punches, ducking as she swung her arm and I came back up and headbutted her.

"Ow!" She and I said, but while she just rubbed her forehead, I stumbled back while holding my head. It felt like that headbutt had rattled my brains from how hard her head was. Buffy switched out with me as Spike grabbed Glory from behind.

"Thought you said this skank was tough." He said before being tossed like a rag doll. The woman in the red dress walked over and stole my last move by headbutting Spike two times before throwing him across the room. I felt better seeing how that had knocked him out since that meant I wasn't weak for being hurt when **I** headbutted Glory.

"He wakes up, tell your boyfriend to watch his mouth." The Hell-god told Buffy.

"He is _not_ my boyfriend." The Slayer and god went back to fighting as I fought to stand still.

"Hey, those are really nice shoes." She said after catching Buffy's kick. Shaking my head, I managed to clear it and went back to the fight. Glory tossed Buffy's leg up and she flipped back as I slid under her and wrapped my tail around Glory's legs.

"Giles! Now!" Pops fired his crossbow, the arrow bouncing off of her stomach.

"Oh, please. Like that's gonna-hey!" Xander hit her over the head with a crowbar as I pulled, managing to trip Glory. "Watch the hair!" She said before kicking me square in the jaw. I flew back head first into the wall, being swallowed by black as soon as her foot made contact.

~

Coughing and gasping for air, I leaned off of the wall. I was slumped on the floor, my head feeling as if I had been hit by a wrecking ball. Wide-eyed and looking at the floor in front of me, I furrowed my brows.

"Where'd Glory go?" I asked.

"Aud, oh, my God!" Pops rushed over and knelt in front of me. "Someone, quickly, hand me, uh-uh, something to stop the bleeding!"

"Bleeding? What?" I was utterly confused. Then, a giant drop of blood hit the floor. I Looked down, and even more drops began to fall. Reaching up, I hissed with pain and flinched after feeling that my forehead was covered in blood. Feeling my head as Spike quickly handed Pops a whole bunch of gauze pads, I felt glass in my hair and ended up pulling a large shard out from under my skin.

"Ow, shit!" I dropped the glass and Pops held a handful of gauze pads to my head. _'When was the last time I bled?'_

"Don't touch it, Aud. You should know better." Giles gave me a look before taking a brief glance at my wound. Grabbing more gauze pads, he applied a copious amount of pressure to try and stop the bleeding.

"Wow, that's-that's a lot of blood." I mumbled. "Hey, at least we're in a hospital, right?" I gave a goofy grin, making Pops at least chuckle.


	33. Infiltrating through

"~ _I'm amused by the overwhelming choices. Guess the hardest part is knowing when to stop. Yeah, I'm confused and I think I'm hearing voices 'cause you're happening so fast, gonna save the best for last.~_ " The band on stage was going full blast at the multiple grand-reopening of _The Bronze_. Apparently, the place gets trashed quite often.

Willow, Tara, Anya, and Xander were all on the dance floor while I sat around a small, round table with Buffy. The chairs were more comfortable than the former ones, so I guess not all bad had come from the troll incident. Buffy and I just watched the guys dancing- Buffy because she was still sort of hung up on Riley, and me because I wasn't gonna dance.

"Bleedin' crime is what it is." Glancing up, I watched Spike sit next to me while putting his beer on the table. "Jackin' up the bar price for fixin' up this sinkhole." Instead of wearing all black and that long coat like he usually did, the vampire was actually wearing 'normal' looking clothes. It was weird on its own, and even weirder with how he was wearing a brown leather jacket instead of his prize from killing the Slayer in New York. "Not my fault the insurance doesn't cover _'Act of Troll.'_ " He said while looking around.

"Gee. Maybe it's time you found a new place to patronize." Buffy told him.

"I've half a mind to," Spike scoffed while leaning back in his seat. "escpecially since the flowering onion got remodeled off the soddin' menu." He pointed to the back were the menu was hung up. "That's the only thing this place had going for it."

"What?" I looked back. "Oh, now that's just lovely...." Grumbling as I saw it was really gone, I slumped in my seat. "That thing was good."

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked.

"What do you mean, what am I-" Spike furrowed his brows as he cut himself off and leaned forward.

"Here....at this table, talking to us like we're some kind of talking buddies."

"Well," He put a hand on his lap. "I saw you two sittin' here alone. Thought, I don't know, you could maybe do with a bit, of, uh, you know, company." Spike replied. Buffy just gave him a look.

"We're providing each other company." I pointed at Buffy and myself.

"Suit yourself." He said after a pause. The vampire got up, took a few steps, then came right back. "Well....it's just, we took on that Glory chippie together." Spike sat back down. "I was right there with you, fightin' the fight."

"Actually, you were sleeping the sleep of the knocked unconscious." I popped off.

"Yeah. Still, points for intent. You'd think that would be enough to cut me a sliver of slack, earn me a little consideration, respect." Spike pointed.

"Hey, uh, _Evil Dead_ , you're in my seat." Xander spoke up as he and Anya walked up. The bleached blonde looked back, made a face, then shook his head.

"Bugger it." He accidentally knocked over his beer when he went to pick it up, having to quickly grab it, and then he stood and left.

"Xander, I think you may have hurt his feelings." Anya said as they sat down and I watched Spike leave.

"You should never hurt the feelings of a brutal killer." The human male nodded. "You know, that's, uh, that's actually some pretty good advice. So, who's up for some more liquid refreshments?" He asked as Tara and Willow came over. "I'm buying, for I am _Payday Man_."

"Uh, I could use some water." Willow said as she was getting more of her headache medicine.

"Water poses no challenge for _Payday Man_ , for I have-" He cut himself off as his eyes went wide. "Hey, where's my change?" Xander looked around the table. Rolling my eyes, I looked to the bar and saw Spike buying another beer. "Spike, you diabolical fiend." He got up and went to the bar. _'And you wonder why you don't get respect....'_

"Poor Wil. Still getting those headaches?" Buffy asked.

"Fewer and further between, but, yep." Willow answered while putting down the medicine bottle. "They're still exercising their visitation rights."

"Honey, in case you didn't hear me the first 6,000 times, no more teleportation spells." Tara raised her eyebrows.

"Well, it's just we have squat in the way of Glory-fighting arsenal, and another run-in with her, and my headaches and nosebleeds are gonna be the least of our problems."

"You know what? This is the first _'R and R'_ I've had in weeks." Buffy stated. "How about we go one night without saying the name _'Glory'_?"

"I'm down with that. Let's just call 'she who will not be named' another name." Tara suggested. "Let's just call her-"

"Ben." Buffy interrupted.

"For example." Tara said.

"I'll be right back." Buffy quickly said before going.

~

"Buffy? Aud?" I heard Joyce call as the Slayer and I walked into the house.

"Back by popular demand." Buffy smiled as we walked into the living room.

"Did you have a nice time?" Pops asked from the desk while Joyce was on the couch and Dawn was in her pajamas as she was leaning on the coffee table with a pillow behind her.

"You know, I think I did. Much-needed fun, apart from Willow's headaches and Spike's cameo appearance." The Slayer sat on the coffee table.

"And finding out that the flower onions were booted from the menu." I added.

"Spike was there?" Dawn asked.

"Unfortunately." Buffy replied.

"Well, I'm relieved that you're home, both of you, 'cause, to be honest, I wasn't feeling all that safe with you two gone." Joyce sat down next to her daughter and Buffy sent Pops a look as I smirked. "At first....and then I remembered that Rupert was here, and I felt much, much safer."

"Yes. Thank you for the little backpedal," Giles set down his mug while holding open a book with his other. "But I'm forced to agree that I'm barely an adequate substitute for a Slayer and a half-demon in the house." Pops closed the book, dropped it on the table, and stood up. "Good night." He nodded.

"Good night." Joyce and Dawn said.

"Night, Pops." I hugged Giles before he went to the door. Buffy followed him while I turned towards Dawn. "So, whatchu watchin'?" I asked while looking to the TV.

"Dunno, last show ended and now it's a commercial." She shrugged.

"Oh, got another question...." I crouched down beside her while putting my hands together.

"What?"

"Have you seen my _KISS_ baseball tee?"

"No." Her brows knit together as she looked at me and I bit my lip.

"You sure you haven't seen it layin' around somewhere?"

"I'm sure- why?" Dawn's answer made me sigh.

"Because I can't seem to find the damn thing anywhere." I told her while falling on my butt next to her.

~

"Hey!" I called while walking into the Summers home. Carrying in a few bags from the store, I closed the door with my foot.

"Dawn?" Joyce's voice came from the kitchen.

"No. It's me." Walking to the kitchen, I set the bags down.

"Is Dawn with you?" She looked behind me, expecting to see Dawn.

"Isn't she here?" I looked at the clock.

"No, she didn't come home from school today." Joyce said as she began to put up the groceries I had brought in. "Oh, Aud, the news said something about people murdered-"

"It's not Glory. Buffy called me about it, and it has nothing to do with Dawn. I promise." I gave a reassuring smile. "I'll go find her before Buffy gets home."

"Thank you, Aud." Joyce smiled.

"No problem." Waving a hand, I left the kitchen and went out the door. Tracking Dawn, I followed my nose through Sunnydale from Buffy's house to....Spike's crypt.

"Oh, bloody hell." The vampire said after I pushed the front door open. _'Oh, Buffy is not gonna like this....'_ I thought when I confirmed Dawn really was in the crypt.

"Dawn?"

"Spike was just telling a story, a-and he was just at this really cool part-"

"What is she doing here?" I looked at Spike as he hopped off a coffin.

"Just hanging out." Dawn told me.

"Here? Buffy's gonna kill me."

"Can you please let him finish the story, then you could do the lecture?" She asked me. _'I'm already dead as it is, might as well.'_ Sighing after looking around, I glanced at Spike and crossed my arms.

"Yeah. Sure. Let's hear the story that Spike is telling Buffy's _little_ sister." The English undead got this _'oh, shit'_ face as he leaned back a little.

"Right. Yeah. So, uh, I knew the girl was in the coal bin." He began. "And I rip it open," Spike made a hand gesture like he was yanking a door from its hinges. "very violent, haul her out of there. And then I give her to a good family in a nice home where they're never, ever mean to her and didn't lock her in a coal bin." He glanced from Dawn to me and back.

"What? That's so lame." The little Summers girl said.

"I was just about to send her home." Spike stepped towards me. "I knew you'd be frettin'."

"Dawn, get your stuff. We're getting out of here." I turned to the girl and she got up while grabbing her bag. Walking out of the crypt, I sighed while slightly tilting my head back. "Dawn, no offense, but why doesn't that register with you?"

"What?"

"Crypt plus vampire equals bad." Moving my hands as I talked, I looked at her. "Buffy's already gonna kill me when she finds out where you were."

"It was only Spike." She replied.

"Hanging out with Spike is not cool, Dawn, okay? It's-it's dangerous." I paused. "And Buffy even thinks it's icky."

"I don't think Spike's icky." Dawn pulled the strap on her backpack back onto her shoulder.

"Yeah, well, think again, Dawnie. He'll steal your crackers, eat them, and never apologize or replace 'em." Waving a hand, I took the mini Summers back home.

~

Going to the kitchen to make Dawn's lunch for school the next day, I heard Joyce talking to someone. _'Is Dawn in there?'_

"But what they didn't get was that it was a copy of the bill of lading. So they thought that it was another order form. So now I've got two shipments of _Greek Amphorae_ on my hands." Entering the the kitchen, I saw Joyce, Dawn, and....Spike sitting on the counter. They were all laughing and seemingly having a good time.

"That's funny. And really, how many do you need? Amphorae." Spike said as I leaned on the doorway.

"Oh, Aud!" Joyce noticed me first. "Spike came by to apologize for yesterday. Our missing-child drama." Ms. Summers put her hands over Dawn's.

"And he decided to hang out?"

"Well, I got talking about the gallery see, there was this-"

"Oh, don't get us all laughing again, Joyce." Spike put a fist on his leg while smiling. "Anyhow, I really need to talk to your security guard."

"What about?" I raised a brow. He hopped off the counter and walked past me into the dining room. Following him, Spike began to talk lowly.

"I got a bit of info you might be keen on knowing."

"Sorry." I crossed my arms. "All out of cash. Why don't you go hit up someone else."

"I got a bead on the guy who killed those people. The ones on the train." He looked down at me.

"Cough it up."

"I'll do better than that. I'll show." Spike jerked his head, gesturing behind him.

"Oh....you need me to wake up Buffy again?" I shifted on my feet. _'Weren't the guys saying he had a crush on her now?'_

"Nah, let the Slayer sleep. We can handle it." Giving him a look, I tried to think about when he might have fallen for her. _'Maybe when Willow's spell went wrong and he and Buffy were gonna get_ _married....'_ "What's the matter?" Spike asked.

"Nothing." I shook my head. "Just-" I was tempted to ask but didn't and the vampire sighed while rolling his eyes.

"Two vamps holed up in a warehouse downtown. Come on. What are you waiting for? Grab your coat and let's go." Going to the front door, I grabbed my _Slayer_ band jacket off a coat hook and went outside. "Oh, and, by the way," Spike reached into the open car window. "here's your bloody crackers." He handed me a new box of crackers while rolling his eyes again. "You know, it's unhealthy to hold a grudge like you do." Spike made a face.

"Thank you!" And on impulse I hugged him. Snatching the box of crackers from Spike, I hopped into the passenger side of the car. When he just kept standing there, I ripped open the crackers and didn't even look at him as I talked. "Come on, got vamps to vanquish!"

~

Sitting in the car while eating my crackers, we were parked in a dark alley, watching the warehouse and waiting. After a while, Spike reached over to the glove box and pulled out a flask. Once he took a drink, he offered it to me.

"Ew, not a bloodsucker, remember?"

"It's not blood. It's bourbon."

"Nah, don't drink- the crackers are enough." I raised the box.

"Suit yourself." And he put the flask back up. Spike sighed, then began to drum his fingers on the steering wheel while humming a familiar tune.

"I wanna be sedated." The words just came out of my mouth since I really liked the song.

"You like the _Ramones_?" Spike looked at me.

"Yeah, so." I said defensively while stuffing a cracker into my mouth. "Hey, if you're not doing this for the money, why are you-"

"Shh!" Looking outside in front of the car, I saw two vampires walking through the alley. The second they were in the warehouse, Spike and I hopped out of the car. I left my precious crackers in the passenger seat before following the bleached blonde.

Letting my tail and fangs grow out as we went into the building, I flexed my claws, ready for a fight. Oddly, I could hear popcorn popping and the sound of something lightweight and plastic being dropped. Walking into view of the two vampires, they rose to their feet off of a torn up couch.

"The Slayer's pet." The closest one said, but within the next second they both ran off.

"Why does everyone think I'm Buffy's pet?!" I asked no one in particular.

"Well, that was sad." Spike popped off as my tail drooped. Furrowing my brows, I looked around and noticed something was off. "I'm embarrassed for our kind. So, should we chase after 'em, then? They couldn't have gone far."

"These bloodsuckers have been here for a while. They've nested."

"So, you're sayin' they're a couple of poofters?" He asked as I glanced at all the movies and popcorn.

"No. I'm saying they had nothing to do with last night's murders." My tail twitched as I faced Spike.

"How do you figure?"

"Whoever did it only arrived in town last night, duh, dumbass. You just brought me on a wild goose-chase." Rolling my eyes, I walked away as my tail swayed a little. The bleached blonde sighed before following me. Reaching for the door, Spike opened it for me instead. "What are you doing? I can open a door."

"I-uh, it was-I wasn't thinking." He waved a hand. That was when I realized something. From all the times Buffy and Dawn had made me watch chick-flicks with them, I was learning stuff. About _dates_.

"What is this?" I blurted.

"Oh, c-" He cut himself off while pushing the door closed. "Don't get your knickers twisted! I was-"

"What is this?" My tail twitched again as Spike furrowed his brows. "The late-night stakeout, the bogus suspects, the crackers. Is this a date?"

"A-" He paused while getting this strange expression on his face. "Please!" Spike chuckled. "A date! You are completely off your bird. I mean- Do you want it to be?" He leaned forward while putting his hands on his hips and smiling.

"Oh, my cheeses." I looked down while walking away. "Oh. Oh, no. Are you out of your mind?" Turning, I pointed at him.

"It's not so unusual. Two people...." Spike began to walk towards me. "in the workplace. Feelings develop."

"No! No, no, feelings do not develop. I don't like couples or couple-y things."

"You can't deny it. There's something between us."

"Frustration. Disapprobation."

"Heat. Desire." He tilted his head.

"Please. Spike, you're a vampire!"

"So?"

"You're evil." I waved a hand.

"I can be good. I've changed, Aud."

"What, that chip in your head? That's not change. That's just holding you back. You're like a serial killer in prison!" _'I can't believe I'm even having this conversation.'_

"Women marry 'em all the time!" Was his defense and I rolled my eyes. "Uh, but I'm not like that." Spike stood a couple of feet from me as I looked at him. "Something's happening to me. I can't stop thinking about you."

"Ugh!" Turning away, I had no idea on how to handle this situation. I always had help from the Scoobies and Spike, but the guys weren't here and Spike was the one doing the _'come on and date me'_ stuff.

"And if that means turning my back on the whole evil thing-"

"You don't know what you mean." I turned on him. _'Vampires don't have souls-can they even feel?'_ "You don't know what feelings are!"

"I damn well do!" Spike rose his voice. "I lie awake every night." He pointed.

"You sleep during the day!" My tail was swaying like an irritated feline's.

"Yeah, but-" Spike stopped, shifted on his feet and clenched his jaw. "You are missing the point. This is real here. I love-"

"Don't!" I raised a hand to stop him.. "Don't say it." The vampire sighed while tilting his head. "I'm going."

"Oh, come on. We need to talk." He said as I walked past him.

" _We_ don't need to do anything, okay? There is no _we_. Understand?" I waved my hand through the air. _'Oh, God. What did I do? I've told him my view on this whole dating and love charade, and yet he does this!'_ Walking away, I just wanted out of that warehouse.

"Aud!" Spike called after me and I ignored him.


	34. Sweet sensations

"Guys...." Walking into the Summers house, I saw Buffy, Joyce, and Willow hanging out in the living room. "It's not Buffy that Spike's into." I stated while just standing there and looking at them.

"You sure?" Buffy looked relieved as I nodded.

"Who is it?" Willow asked with a raised brow.

"Me." Sitting on the coffee table, I told them what had happened. They listened, not caring that my tail was still out and twitching with frustration and irritation.

"Well, he-he actually told you?" Willow asked. "He said, _'I love you'_?"

"I didn't let him get that far, I cut him off after he said _'love'_."

"Aud, did you somehow, unintentionally, lead him on in any way?" Joyce furrowed her brows. "Send him signals?" Her hands moved as she talked.

"All I do is....beat him up a lot."

"For Spike, that's like third base." Buffy popped off. It took me a second to get what she meant.

"Oh." Joyce shook her head.

"Aud, um, I'm really worried." The redhead looked at me.

"So am I." Buffy said.

"He could become dangerous." Joyce added.

"Not really. I mean, as long as it's still _'chips ahoy'_ in Spike's head, he can't hurt me or any of us." I glanced at each of them. "You know? Besides, this'll probably just blow over. You know? It's just some Spike thing." Nodding, I sat up straighter. "He'll have the hots for some gak demon before we know it."

"I don't know. These things can-can become pretty twisted." Willow looked concerned.

"Yeah, and Spike. I mean, he's-"

"Pretty twisted." Buffy finished her mom's sentence.

"Yeah." Joyce nodded.

"Well, you made it clear, right? That it could never happen." The witch asked.

"That there's no possible way ever." Buffy waved her hand.

"Yeah. I-I think so...." My tail twitched as the three humans were looking at me. "I don't know. I was just so thrown."

"Well, Aud, you have to talk to him again." Willow raised her eyebrows while shrugging one shoulder.

"What? No! No, no, no." Shaking my head, I held up my hands. "I have to avoid him."

"Not until you shut him down completely." Buffy said.

"If he thinks there's even a little chance with you, there's no telling what he'll do." I looked at the redhead, then to the Summers. _'Why can't I be a vampire repelling demon? Wait, is that even a thing?'_ I thought.

"Okay, fine." I sighed. "What do I do?" Running a hand through my bangs, I waited for an answer.

"Just make it clear that he has absolutely no chance with you and you have zero interest in him." Buffy told me. Nodding, I stood up and straightened out my jacket. The others went to their feet as well, looking at me.

"Okay. I can do this. Why does this feel like I'm going into a battle field naked?" My brows furrowed as I looked at the women.

"Maybe because you're not used to it?" Buffy suggested.

"Yeah, that's probably it."

"I know this is hard, Aud, but I think you made the right decision." Joyce told me. "Better to nip this in the bud before-"

"The bud nips me." I nodded again.

"Exactly."

"If you want, Aud, I can go with. Back you up with some scowlin'." Willow offered while giving an example.

"Thanks, but I get the feeling this is something I have to do myself." I gestured to myself. "Besides, you know, maybe I'm wrong." I shrugged. "Maybe this whole thing's just been blown way out of proportion and he's back to calling me names and stealing my food."

"Here's hopin'." Willow smile as she and Buffy held up crossed fingers.

"You know what though? There is one thing we can do for you while you're gone." Buffy smirked as she and Willow exchanged glances.

~

"Spike?" I called while entering his dark crypt. For some reason, I calmly walked in rather than kicked or busting the door open. "Are you here?" Walking around, I tried to look for the bleach headed man. "Spike?" I called again. When there was no answer, I sighed while putting my hands into my jacket pockets.

Sniffing, I turned to a concrete slab on the ground. Kneeling by it, I pushed it to the side and found a hole underneath. _'Whelp, down the rabbit hole I go.'_ I thought while going down a wooden ladder. Down below, I saw a sort of cave-like area full of skeletons and various skulls. There was a torch on the walls, lighting up the place along with candles. Walking past it, I looked around, seeing opened coffins and roots coming down from all sides.

I spotted a sheet in a far corner, covering something. Out of pure curiosity, I went to take a peek and lifted up one end before I furrowed my brows. There was a mannequin with a silver haired wig and my missing _KISS_ baseball tee. Pulling down the rest of the sheet, I saw a wall covered with drawing and stolen photos of me. Hell, there was even a few of my small blades that had ended up missing. Quickly leaving, I shook my head.

"Nope, nope-I did not just see that." I mumbled to myself while going up the ladder.

"See anything interesting?" Spike was crouched in front of the hole, some blood on the corner of his mouth.

"Spike. I-" Crawling out of the hole, I kept staring at the vampire. "What-eh-what happened?" I pointed to the blood while backing away. As he was stepping towards me, I was stepping back, not wanting to let him get too close to me.

"Me." I heard a woman say and turned in time to see a cattle prod being thrusted into my gut.

"Aah!" Baring my teeth as my body spasmed, I fell to the ground. Leaning against a coffin, I glared while still feeling a little twitchy.

"You remember my ex, don't you, half-breed?" Spike looked down at me while standing next to the pale, black haired woman. Groaning, I put a hand over where the cattle prod had zapped me. "Come back, she did." He put an arm over her shoulders as she nuzzled into him. "Couldn't live without me."

"My boy's been feeding again. I know what he really wants to eat."

"You must be Drusilla." I chuckled. "Glad to know there's someone paler than me out there." And she hit me with the cattle prod again, causing me to black out this time.

~

"There she is." I heard Spike say after I groaned. Opening my eyes, I realized my arms were up. Looking, I saw shackles around my wrists. I felt my heartbeat quicken as I tugged on the chains. "I was beginning to think you'd sleep the night away." Spike smirked.

"Take the chains off, _now_." I snarled. If there was one thing I hated in the world- it was being chained up. The feel of the metal heated by my own skin made me feel constricted while having limited range of motion made me sick. _'No....'_ I thought. _'No! Not again!'_ "Drusilla?" My brows furrowed as I smelt her but didn't see her. Spike flicked his eyebrows up while smirking as he stepped to the side.

"Not nice to change the game in mid-play, Spike." She said and I saw her tied up to a thick pipe running from the ceiling to the ground. "You've taken my chair, and the music hasn't stopped."

"Sorry, pet. My house, my rules."

"I think I shall be very cross with you when I'm free again." Drusilla leaned forward.

"What's going on?" I asked, confused as to why the female vampire was tied up.

"Simple. I'm gonna prove something." Spike stepped back in front of me and looked me in the eye. "I love you."

"Oh, my-" I cut myself off while cringing and looking away.

"Hey, no. Look at me." Spike grabbed my chin with his cold hand. "I....love you." He said clearly. Jerking my head back, I snarled again. "You're all I bloody think about....dream about." He clenched his jaw. "You're in my gut...." Spike chuckled. "In my throat." The vampire closed his eyes while shaking his head. "I'm drowning in you, Aud." His eyebrows flicked up as he softly smiled. "I'm drowning in you." That was when Drusilla burst into laughter. "I can do without the laugh track, Dru." Spike looked over his shoulder.

"But it's so funny." She said. "I knew before I arrived....I saw." Her grin fell. "I knew you loved the Slayer's pet." She looked at me. "The pixies in my head whispered it to me." _'Oh, come on! I'm not Buffy's pet!'_ I wanted to roll my eyes.

"She really is bonkers...." I whispered while staring at her.

"You can't tell me that there isn't anything there between you and me." Spike turned back to me. "I know you feel something."

"It's called sympathy." I flashed my teeth while pulling on the chains. "I felt bad when I saw the way you were treated because I knew how it felt. And whatever you think you're feeling, it's not love." My tail twitched as I looked up at him. "You can't love without a soul."

"Oh, we can, you know." The female vampire piped in. "We can love quite well....if not wisely." Her grin fell.

"You still don't believe. You still don't think I mean it." Spike tilted his head to the side. "You want proof, huh? How's this?" He walked away, picked up a stake, and went to Drusilla while holding the point over her heart. "I'm gonna kill Drusilla for you." The woman began to insanely laugh.

"That doesn't prove anything, except that you're a twisted, miserable bloodsucker. I should have never been nice to you." I yanked on the chains again as my tail swayed.

"Don't mock this." The bleached blonde gave me a look.

"Screw you."

"This is _Drusilla_ , girl!" He pointed at the black haired woman while taking a step towards me. "Do you have the slightest idea what she means to me?" Spike got this look on his face. "It's the face of my salvation." He turned to her. "She delivered me from mediocrity. For over a century, we cut a swath through continents. A hundred years, she never stopped surprising me." He touched her cheek gently. "Never stopped taking me to new depths. I was a lucky bloke...." He swallowed. "just to touch such a black beauty."

"Ohh." Drusilla smiled. "Ow!" She flinched as Spike put the stake back to her heart.

"So you see, it means something." Spike looked at me.

"Not to me. I'm in chains. Why should I care if you off her?" The man raised his brows while lowering his arms.

"Here's why." He licked his lower lip before walking over to me. "If you don't admit that there's something there....some tiny feeling for me," The vampire raised a hand while holding his index finger and thumb close together. "then I'll untie Dru and let her kill you instead."

"Yes, please. I like that game much more." Drusilla nodded. "I heard half-breeds have surprise flavors, what's your's?"

"Just....give me something. A crumb....the barest smidgen." I just blankly stared at him. "Tell me maybe, someday, there's a chance." Tilting my head to the side, the bleached blonde stood right in front of me.

"Spike....the only chance you had with me was when I was knocked-out." My tail swayed as I watched the expression changing on his face.

"Oh, wha-" He backed away while clenching his jaw and growling. Spike stomped away before throwing the stake and let out a frustrated roar. "What the _bleeding_ **_Hell_** is wrong with you _bloody_ **_women_**?!" He shouted so loudly that the veins in his neck showed. "What the Hell does it take?!" Spike yelled at me. "Why do you bitches torture me?" He looked from me to Drusilla.

"Which question do you want me to answer first?" I said flatly, feeling the rage building up inside of me from being chained up.

"No, I-I'm at the end of my bleeding tether, you know?" Spike threw his arms out. "I-I don't know why I even bother, you know. It's your fault." He pointed at his Sire while pacing back and forth. "You're the one to blame for all this, you know."

"Am I?"

"Bloody right you are!" The bleached blonde shouted. "If you hadn't left me for that Chaos Demon, I never would've come back here!" He pointed behind himself, and after, put two fingers to his temple. "Never would've had this sodding chip in my skull." Then he focused his yelling at me. "And _you_ wouldn't be able to touch me. Because this...." He pointed to his heart. "with you is wrong." Spike pointed at me while shaking his head. "I know it. I'm not a complete idiot." He tossed his hands up before walking past me

My heart stopped when it looked like he was going to leave. _'No! Don't leave me down here! Don't leave me chained up!'_ I wanted to scream, but he turned back around before I did.

"You think I like having you in here? Destroying everything that was me until all that's left is you in a dead shell?" Spike gestured towards me and scoffed. "You say you don't like it, but you won't leave." He then looked at Drusilla and me. "You know, what I should just do is get rid of both of you." The male vampire waved a hand.

"Burn you! Cut you into little pieces," He made a scissoring motion with his fingers. "so there won't be any more bits to cock up things for Spi-" He dropped to the ground, an arrow sticking out of his back. "Uh! Oh, great." Spike grumbled while looking up at Harmony as she was holding a crossbow.

"What about me, Spike? You forget about me again? The _actual_ girlfriend?"

"Harmony?" I mumbled before going wide-eyed.

"I gave you the best....bunch of months of my life!" The blonde woman raised her voice.

"No. No, no, no, no, no!" I shook my head as I went as far back as I could from her. Drusilla was looking at me and I gave my first sneeze as Harmony hit Spike with the handle of the crossbow.

"Uh!"

"That's right, little girl. Teach our naughty boy a lesson." Drusilla said.

"Oh, so now you're all gangin' up."

"I thought I could change you, Spike. I thought maybe if I gave and I gave and gave, maybe you'd come around. Maybe be a little nicer. Stop treating me like your dog. But now I see it's you." Harmony said as I went into a sneezing fit. "You're the dog....who needs to be put-" She was cut off by Spike attacking her. Since those two were preoccupied, I tried pulling on the chains to free myself as I kept sneezing.

Next thing I knew, Drusilla was free and attacking me. Rearing back, I head-butted her, making her stumble back before kangaroo-kicking her in the gut. I went into another sneezing fit and Drusilla came back at me with a long, wooden plank. With a swipe of my tail, I pulled it from her and tossed it while trying to avoid her fists. But I was an easy target, I couldn't fight back as much due to my arms being in shackles. So, her hand soon found it's way around my throat.

Suddenly, Spike yanked her off and threw her to the ground. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a key as I began to sneeze again. Once my arms were free, I stepped away from the shackles while covering my nose.

"Poor Spike." Drusilla said. "So lost. Even I can't help you now." She waved a hand before backing away and leaving through a tunnel.

"Oh, Spikey!" Turning, I saw Harmony standing there. "And you can say good-bye to this," She pointed to her butt. "because you're not gonna see it anymore. Unless you run into me somewhere and it's me walking away from you." She went to leave, but kept turning back. "But even then, I'll probably just....you know....back away." As she left, I flexed my claws and slowly faced Spike.

Swinging a heavy fist, I punched him, sending him flying back into the wall of images of me. Storming out of the cave, I nearly ripped the crypt doors off their hinges. Even though I was so pissed, I had to focus to make my demonic traits go away. I couldn't have some human seeing me the way I was.

Rubbing my wrists as I walked down the sidewalk, I tried to wipe away the feeling of the shackles. I was alone, the silence deafening as I could hear the roar of my blood rushing through my veins. I had felt fear for the first time in years tonight. True, undiluted fear. Why? All because of those damned chains.

"Aud! Come on, now. Stop! You can't just walk away from this." I heard Spike running behind me.

"What part of punching you in the face did you not understand?" I asked as he fell into step beside me.

"So we had a fight. It's not our first, love. It doesn't change anything." Spike followed me as I went up the the Summers house.

"It changes everything, Spike!" Turning on him, I felt my claws and fangs grow. "I want you out!" Pointing at him, I let my rage show on my face. "I want you out of this town. I want you off this goddamned planet! You don't come near me, my friends, or my family again, ever!" I shouted. "Understand?"

"No. It's not that easy." He shook his head. Walking up the porch steps, Spike continued to follow me. "We have something, Aud. It's not pretty, but it's real. And there's nothing either one of us can do about it." Opening the door, I stood just beyond the threshold. "Like it or not, I'm in your life. You can't just shut me out." He looked as if he ran into an invisible wall as I held the door in one hand. Various expressions flashed on his face just before I closed the door.


	35. Hot temptations

" _Spike!_ Spike wants me. How obscene is that?" Asking, I paused my punching.

"Well, it is very strange. I mean," Pops scoffed. "I can't imagine what he's thinking. N-not-not that you're not attractive." He quickly added as I went back to hitting.

"That's my problem, though. I don't want to attract that kind of attention." I said. "I feel gross. Like-like....dirty."

"Th-that's ridiculous. You can't be responsible for what Spike thinks or feels." Pops was holding a towel as he walked up next to me.

"Well, aren't I responsible? I mean, something about me had to make him feel that, right? It was like that in those movies the Summers made me watch." I stopped punching again. "Something that made him say, _'woof, that's the one for me.'_ " Then, my punches got a little harder before I gave a kick.

"Aud, darling, I think you should perhaps calm down."

"Me too." Xander said, making me remember that he was in the sumo-looking suit.

"Oh, puffy Xander. I'm-I'm sorry. I got-" I reached up to take off his helmet. "I guess I got carried away. Are you okay?"

"I'm alive. I can tell 'cause of the pain."

"Sorry! I would have trained with Buffy, but she's got homework." I handed the helmet to Pops. "Do you want to sit down?"

"I'm not that bendy." He looked to the wall and pointed. "I could lean."

"Here, I'll get some ice." Pops said.

"Here you go." Taking Xander to the wall, I sort of cringed. "Comfy?"

"Oh, yeah. This leaning- this is the stuff." The human male sighed.

"See, that's my secret to attracting men. You know, it's simple, really." I began to pace. "You smack 'em around a bit. Show a little kindness. You show 'em some sympathy then make their lives a little hellish and-"

"Aud."

"Sure, being friends is fine by me, but every now and then, you'll come across a real prince like Spike who gets off on it and tries to be more." There was heavy sarcasm in my voice as I said 'prince'.

"Aud, stand me up." Xander said as he gestured with his head. When he started leaning, I held him to keep him standing. "The problem is not you. Don't do this to yourself, please."

"I just-" I paused while sighing. "I just wanna know that I can go out without being hit on, just be able to make friends."

"Well, maybe there will be a day you could do that. And maybe there'll be a day when you actually don't find dating disgusting." Xander looked down at me.

"Pfft, yeah. Sure, and there'll be a day when the _apocalypse_ is gonna be the _actual apocalypse_. Oh, and then I can scare him off with my incredible strength and demonic blood and body parts." I grinned while raising a fist.

"What? Hey, you never know."

"Maybe I could change. You know, I could-I could work harder. I could spend more time being off-putting. I could be less sympathetic." I looked at Xander as I was still pacing. "I mean, men don't like that, right? The off-putting and being mean?"

"Or maybe you could just be Aud. Who cares if someone's into you, you can just say you're not interested and he'll find someone else."

"Xander, that's....awe." I gave the human a hug. The Scoobies really were helpful people.

"This is the day you choose to hug me?" Xander sighed. "Aud?"

"Mm-hmm?"

"You ever think maybe the reason you don't like intimate relationships is because you haven't found someone who makes you want one?" He asked. "Seems to me like it's a possibility."

"Meh." Simply shrugging, I didn't say anything else. There really was no way of knowing if he was right or not. All I did know that the present me didn't like couples.

~

"Joyce, be careful." I told Buffy's mom as she was going out the door. "If you need, you know, some half-demon assistance, this is my number." Quickly writing it down on a piece of paper, I handed it to her.

"Thank you, Aud. I'll be fine." Joyce smiled while taking the paper.

"Yeah, Aud. Mom will be fine, now, come on. We got to get ready for the party." Buffy said while putting her hands onto her hips.

"Party? What party? Is it someone's birthday? Oh, man, I don't have a gift!" I looked at the Slayer.

"No, remember? I told you about it, it's at the college."

"Oh! ....Wait, I can't, you know, just tail your mom to make sure she stays okay?"

"Aud, I'll be fine. I'm just going on a date. I'll be back later tonight." Joyce chuckled.

"Yeah. Now, up the stairs with you." Buffy pulled me back from the door as Joyce waved goodbye and left. "Let's see what little Miss Giles has in her closet." The Slayer took me into my room and opened up the closet. She just kind of stared at all the weapons for a second. "Okay, I'm the Slayer and I find this unnatural. Where's all your clothes? You know, your shoes even."

"Um, shoes are on my feet and my clothes are all in the dresser. Why?" I asked while pointing.

"Why? Because I'm going to show you how couples are not so disgusting. The guys agree that your view on intimacy is unhealthy." Buffy walked over to the dresser and began to dig through the drawers.

"What?" I coughed.

"You heard me, half-breed. You're-how old are you?" She furrowed her brows while glancing back at me.

"20. I turn 21 in a few months."

"Okay, you're 20 and you still cringe like a little kid when you see people just kissing." Buffy started tossing my clothes over her shoulder, her face saying she was looking for a certain something. "Oh, my God. How can you call yourself a girl? Is all you have consist of rock band shirts and one pair of shoes?"

"I have a few metal band t-shirts and my pants." Shrugging one shoulder, I sat on the bed while looking at my clothes covering the floor.

"Um, I think I might have something. Do you have any pair of pants without holes?" She sighed after I shook my head. "Okay, I can just work with what I have. You just stay right there, I'll be right back." Buffy pointed at me. Raising my hands as I nodded, the little blonde rushed out of the room. A few minutes later, she came back carrying a pair of shoes and a shirt.

"Um....Buffy, do I have to, you know, really do this? I highly doubt my opinion on couples is going to change overnight." I said as she walked towards me. "Hell, I highly doubt a party is going to change an opinion I've had for years."

"Hush, naive one. Just let the one with dating experience show you the world you have closed your eyes to." The Slayer dramatically waved a hand like a wizard in a movie before she set the shirt and shoes down. "I got a top that I've never worn- not really my style-and these boots I bought on impulse that I've also never worn, but I think they'll suit you." She smiled.

"Is it normal to have clothes you don't wear?" Furrowing my brows, I expressed my confusion.

"Totally." Buffy pointed to the clothes. "Let me see if you have a pair of pants that'll go with this. Go ahead and try the top, I need to know if it'll fit." Looking at it, I picked it up as she dug through the drawers again.

"Where's the rest of it?" I asked.

"It's a halter. That's all of it."

"How am I even supposed to put it on?"

"Oh, my." She shook her head while carrying a pair of pants with her. "Okay, first, you take off your shirt, then you put this one on. Here, I'll help you." Buffy set down the jeans and made me stand up. After she had me in it, she pointed. "It's a halter tuxedo vest. ( [710BZ0zzTPL._UX342_](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/710BZ0zzTPL._UX342_.jpg) ) I thought it would be a good start for you since you have the whole.... tomboy vibe." The blonde gestured to me.

"Uh, Buffy, it makes my boobs stick out." I told her while looking down.

"That's the point. We're trying to attract the men's attention." Buffy said as I slid the ripped jeans on. "Wait, how would you know if you're straight if you don't like dating and that stuff?"

"I actually don't know...." Shrugging, I grabbed a boot. ([ee02768c3c17279d1d932962fc89b3](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ee/02/76/ee02768c3c17279d1d932962fc89b33e.jpg) )

"Oh....well, then we'll have to get both genders to look at you. Hey, for all we know, you could be gay like Willow!" Buffy smiled while waving a hand.

"Huh....I might be. I guess it never really occurred to me since I find what you're making me do disgusting." I said while putting on the other boot. "Hey, I'm not gonna, uh, pop out of this, am I?" I asked. "I mean, it _really_ makes my boobs stick _out_."

"Oh, no. You'll be fine!" Buffy waved a hand at me. "Just don't jump around too much. Plus, if you've got it, flaunt it." She grabbed my wrist and took me to the bathroom. "Sit." The Slayer pointed to the toilet. Sitting on the lid, I nervously scratched the back of my head.

"What are you gonna do to me now? Look, I'm going along with this as it is, and I draw the line at wearing make-up." I said as her hand was hovering over the crap covering the counter.

"Fine," She sighed and raised her hands defensively. "I'll just do your hair."

"What? Why? What's wrong with my braid?"

"Oh, relax, I'm just gonna put it in a messy bun." Buffy pulled the band out of my hair before unraveling my braid.

"What makes a bun messy?" My nose scrunched up.

"You'll see."

~

The music was loud and the whole place was alive and I guess it wasn't so bad to come to the party because there was so much food. A lot of guys, and even a few girls, came over to hit on me, but I kept turning them down. The Scoobies idea of changing my mind was not working- I still found couples and intimacy gross.

Looking around, I smiled at all the tiki decor and flower necklaces. It was definitely something new to see. Biting into a chip, some of it fell down between my boobs. _'Oh, great. That's what I get for wearing this.'_ Sticking the rest of the chip into my mouth, I reached into my shirt to dig out what had fallen down there.

"Small world." Glancing up, I saw Spike standing there with his thumbs behind his belt buckle and staring at me. "Oh, dear. if looks could stake." He smiled. "You havin' fun, pet? You, uh, trolling for a honey?" The vampire looked me up and down before glancing around. "I gotta say, I thought you weren't into the whole scene."

"I told you I w-" I crossed my arms.

"Thought I was gonna leave town?" Spike cut me off. "It's a free country. Free party." He reached into a bowl of _Chex Mix_ and grabbed one of the little squares. "If you want me to leave," He smirked. "you can put your hands on my hot, tight little body and make me." Spike's eyes lingered on my chest before he looked up at me.

"Get. Away. From. Me." I told him flatly. The bleached blonde stood there for a second, then nodded before walking away. Sighing, I rolled my eyes.

"Was that guy bothering you?" A familiar face came into view.

"No." I replied, trying to remember where I had seen this guy.

"It's me, Marcus." He grinned while putting one hand into his pocket as he held a drink in the other. "You might not remember, it's okay." He waved a hand and I recalled who he was.

"Oh, yeah! You're the guy that took the boxes I was carrying and wrote on my hand." Pointing, I smiled, happy that I was able to remember.

"That's me, yeah. I figured when you never called you weren't interested." He said while obviously looking at my attire.

"Honestly, I wasn't. I'm only here because my friends are trying to make me interested in dating."

"Ouch, you don't sugarcoat, do you?" Marcus chuckled. "I may be called humble, but I still have an ego."

"Oops....sorry." I cringed.

"No, don't apologize. It's refreshing to meet a woman not afraid to tell the truth." The brunette man shook his head. _'Yeah.... the truth is I'm not human, pal.'_ "So, would you mind if I cut in on your friends' plan? I think I can persuade you to be not so against dating. I can be very charming and funny if you want me to be."

"I don't know...." Narrowing my eyes, I looked at him. "I might be a lesbian."

"Oh, well, how about we try to find out?" Marcus smiled while raising a brow.

"Well...." I glanced around, looking for the Scoobies. When I spotted them, they were all having fun and Buffy was talking to a guy I had seen at the hospital before. "I guess it couldn't hurt." Shrugging, I looked up at him.

"Cool." He chuckled. When I heard glass shattering, I looked over and saw a girl tossing someone through a window.

"Bloody Hell!" Spike's face popped up out of the bushes. "You threw me through a window." The woman said nothing. "What's that about?"

"You cannot make those suggestions to me. I have a boyfriend. Warren is my boyfriend." The brunette girl told him.

"You know what? My bleeding sympathies to Warren." Spike said before walking off. When the woman in the flowery dress turned around, the people quickly backed away from her.

"No one but Warren can touch me." She nodded. I watched as Buffy intercepted her as she was leaving and smiled.

"Excuse me. Hi. Um, maybe you and I could talk, you know, 'cause throwing Spike through a window-" Buffy paused while grinning. "Well, that's really good. But, you know, generally speaking-"

"Do you know my boyfriend?"

"Okay, I think you need to take a second and stop looking for your boyfriend." The woman than picked up Buffy and threw her back several yards.

"I have to find him." She said.

"Uh, gotta go." Glancing at Marcus, I quickly walked away and made my way through the crowd towards Buffy.

"If I hurt you just now, I am sorry. And I hope that your boyfriend will take good care of you." The left as I reached Buffy. Helping her up, I furrowed my brows. ' _That woman doesn't smell right....'_


	36. Coming over you

"Ow. I don't know about you guys, but I've had it with super-strong little women who aren't me." Buffy stated as she was pacing.

"I don't count, right? I mean, I'm a little taller than you." I asked.

"Nah, you're cool."

"At least she didn't do too much damage." Tara said.

"Are you kidding? Double-glaze glass ain't cheap. And the jamb needs to be completely repaired." Xander got a look on his face after he said that. "Oh, dear God. I'm the grown-up who sees the world through my job. I'm like my uncle Dave the plumber, and I must be shunned."

"Okay." Willow smiled.

"So what do you guys think she is?" Buffy questioned. "This may sound nuts, but I kind of got the impression that she was a-"

"Robot." Tara nodded.

"Oh, yeah. A robot." Xander agreed as everyone nodded.

"The chick smelt like a computer." I popped off.

"Yeah, I was gonna say robot." Buffy was still holding her arm. "What do you think she wants?"

"Warren, whoever that is." Tara raised her brows.

"It's gotta be the guy that built her." Xander said.

"It's an unusual name. There's hardly any, except Warren Beatty and, you know, president Harding. I-it's probably not either of them." Willow furrowed her eyebrows.

"Wil, can you track down this guy with only a first name?"

"Given enough time. I-I can get a list of Sunnydale students named Warren tonight, but then we'll have to call them or go to their dorms, so we probably can't start narrowing it down till tomorrow." Willow told Buffy.

"She could do a lot of damage by then." Anya stated.

"To who? Spike? See how vigorously I don't care. She was looking for this Warren, but it didn't sound like she wanted to hurt him. She said he's her boyfriend." Xander tilted his head as he looked at us.

"I agree. I'm not sure this is a code red. Is there a code pink?" The redhead shrugged. "We need more codes."

"Okay." Buffy smiled and nodded. "We'll track down Warren tomorrow. Tonight, we better go back and rescue Giles." The Slayer glanced at me. "He's been watching Dawn while my mom's out on her date. And I have a feeling there's only so much he can take."

"You think he'll be okay when we get back?" I crossed my arms.

"Oh, Giles and Dawnie? I bet they ended up having a blast." Tara smiled.

~

"Dear God, Buffy, there's only so much I can take. We're gonna have to change the system." Pops said as he stood in the open doorway. "A 14-year-old's too old to be baby-sat, and i-it's not fair on her."

"What's she make you do?"

"Um, well, we listened to aggressively cheerful music sung by people chosen for their ability to dance. Then we ate cookie dough and talked about boys." Buffy and I laughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm very, very sorry, but if it makes you feel any better, my fun-time Buffy party night involved watching a robot throw Spike through a window. So, if you wanna trade-no, wait. I wouldn't give that memory up or anything." She pointed while smiling.

"A robot? Sounds interesting." Pops looked at both of us, paused, then looked back at me. "Aud, what in God's name are you wearing?"

"Um...." I cleared my throat. "Buffy made me do it!" Quickly talking, I pointed at the Slayer before running up the stairs.

"Oh, I'm so gonna get you for that!" The blonde woman yelled up after me.

~

"And you're certain she was a robot?" Pops asked while leaning on the display case.

"Absolutely. She smelled like metal and wires." I nodded.

"She practically had _'genuine molded plastic'_ stamped on her ass." Tara said. There was a paused as we looked at her. "Just trying a little spicy talk."

"She was looking for someone named Warren." Anya looked at Pops.

"Wil's already checked the Sunnydale enrollment." Buffy said.

"And got nothin'." Willow said after she stopped typing on her laptop. "I found one Warren, but he moved out of the country a year ago. I'm checking nearby schools."

"Whoever he is, he knows his stuff." Xander put his hands together. "That girl, well," He chuckled. "that was a nice-lookin' girl." Buffy and Tara looked at him, then to Anya.

"It's okay for him to say that 'cause I know that he really loves me only." The ex-demon smiled at Xander.

"Is there something the rest of us could be doing?" Pops asked.

"What can we do? I can't really track her, we're in Sunnydale. She smells like every computer and almost every machine here." I sighed.

"Oh, do you have any books on robots?" Tara questioned.

"Oh, yes. Dozens." Pops nodded. "There's an enormous amount of research we should do before- No, I'm lying. I haven't got squat. I just like to see Xander squirm." Giles grinned and Xander gave a dorky laugh.

"Funny. Charming and funny." The man nodded his head.

"Hey, I-I think I found him. A Warren Meers." Willow pointed to her screen before writing something down. "He went to Sunnydale High with us for a semester, then he went to the tech college over in Dutton. I-I've got a local address where his folks still live."

"He's probably home for Spring Break." Tara suggested.

"We'll go talk to him." Buffy said as she took the paper with the address from Willow and pointed at me.

"No, no. Wait. We don't know what you're walking into. We-we have no idea what his motive is for building this thing." Pops stood up when he saw a woman waiting to check out at the register.

"Um, don't you think she's just...." Tara said while moving her head and making a face.

"Yeah. She's just sort of a...." Willow trailed off while raising her eyebrows.

"She's a _sexbot_. I-I mean, what guy doesn't dream about that?" Xander waved a hand as Pops went to the front counter. "Beautiful girl with no other thought but to please you, willing to do anything." We all just sort of looked at him and he scoffed. "Too many girls. I miss Oz. He'd get it. He wouldn't say anything, but he'd get it."

"Why would anyone do that if they could have a real live person?" Anya and I ended up saying at the same time.

"Maybe he couldn't....find a real person." Willow and the others glanced at Anya and me with these weirded out looks on their faces.

"Oh, come on. The guy's just a big wedge of sleaze. Don't make excuses for him." Buffy said.

"I-I'm not. I'm just saying people get lonely. Maybe having someone around, even someone you made up-maybe it's easier." The redhead half-shrugged as Pops sat back down at the table.

"I don't get lonely. I mean, not in _that_ way." I raised my eyebrows.

"But it's so weird. I mean, everyone wants a nice, normal person to, you know, share with. Well, except Aud. But this guy-if he couldn't find that-I guess it's kind of sad." Tara said and Buffy got this sad sort of look in her eyes.

~

Standing on the porch, I stood behind Buffy as she was about to knock on the door. Just before she could, it opened up and two people were standing there. Buffy pointed to the man.

"I have to talk to you."

"Who's this?" The woman asked.

"Is this about her?" He looked at Buffy.

"Yeah." I popped up behind the Slayer.

"Her who? Warren, something's going on here. Strange girls-"

"Katrina, please be quiet, okay?" The guy turned to the woman. "This is important. Wait in the kitchen."

"And I'm not important? Warren, just tell her to go away."

"I can't."

"You're keeping secrets from me- other girls and who knows what else." The woman got mad.

"Trina, shut up."

"That's is. Forget it, Warren. I'm gone." The woman walked out and stormed past Buffy and I

"No. Katrina!"

"My name is Buffy Summers, this is Aud. We were at Sunnydale High together. Do you know who I am?" Buffy stepped into the house.

"Yes, I know. April. Did she hurt someone?" Warren asked.

"Not yet." I said. "Well, no one that matters." I added, remembering how she tossed Spike, but he was a vampire, so he'd be fine.

"She's looking for me. She followed me here."

"Okay, kind of figured that out." Buffy nodded.

"No, no. There's more." He shifted on his feet. "Um, there's something you need to know about her."

"We know." The Slayer and I said.

"No, wait. This is important."

"Believe me, we worked it out." Buffy told him.

"No, this is something that you can't possibly know." He paused dramatically. "She's a robot."

"Uh-huh." I nodded.

"So you have girl troubles." Buffy stated after we had sat down in the house and were talking with Warren.

"They're not talking to you." I added.

"You're not gettin' dates. You start thinking, _'hey, this isn't fair.'_ "

"I-I mean, yeah, I felt like I deserved to have someone. Everyone deserves to have someone." The man said while waving a hand.

"So, naturally, you turned to manufacturing." Buffy gestured to him.

"Kinda."

"And how long did it take to build yourself that little toy?" I questioned while furrowing my brows.

"Oh, no. She's not a toy." Warren corrected as he was pacing. "I mean, I know what you're thinking, but she's more than that."

"Look, I'm sure she has many exciting labor-saving attachments." Buffy waved a hand.

"No." Warren stepped towards Buffy as she was sitting on the couch. "I made her to love me." He put his hands on his chest. "I mean, she cares about what I care about, and she wants to be with me. She listens to me and supports me. I didn't make a toy." The man held up his hand. "I made a girlfriend."

"A girlfriend?" I asked.

"Are you saying-are you in love with her?" Buffy's brows furrowed.

"Yeah, I really thought I would be. I mean, she's perfect. I-I don't know. I guess it was too easy and predictable. You know, she got boring. She was exactly what I wanted, and I didn't want her." He laughed. "I thought I was going crazy." Warren gestured to his head.

"Really? You?" The Slayer said sarcastically and tilted her head.

"Then something happened. Katrina was in my engineering seminar," He came over and sat next to Buffy while looking at her. "and she was funny and cool. You know, she was always giving me a hard time, real unpredictable. She builds these little model monorails that run with magnets and-" Warren saw the faces Buffy and I were making. "Anyway, I fell in love with Katrina.

"Swell. Romance and magnetic trains." Buffy said sarcastically.

"But first you decided to take April out of the box," I began.

"Play with her for five minutes, and then what? You got bored, decided to dump her, tell her to go away?" Buffy finished.

"Kinda."

"And she got mad. She didn't go, huh?"

"Okay, I didn't really dump her as much as I went out and, uh, didn't come back." He moved his hands as he talked. "I left her. I left her in my dorm room."

"You left her in your dorm room?" Crossing my arms, I looked down at the human male.

"W-well I figured I could just get away until her batteries gave up, which should have been days ago."

"Did you even tell her? Did you even give her a chance to fix what was wrong?" The Slayer questioned.

"I didn't need to fix anything. I mean, her batteries were supposed to run down." Warren leaned forward a little. "Really, they should be completely dead by now."

"So why aren't they?" I asked. "She's still walking around and, believe me, still pretty juiced." Placing my hands on the back of the couch, I looked at him.

"I don't-I don't know. Maybe- she must be recharging them somehow."

"Warren, this is important. Is she dangerous?" The Slayer asked.

"She's only programmed to be in love."

"Does that mean yes or no?" I whispered to Buffy.

"Then she's dangerous. Do you have any idea how to find her?"

"She's looking for me, so my guess is she's probably pretty close." Warren answered.

~

"April! April, are you there?" Warren called out as we were walking outside. "If the batteries are still working and she hears my voice, then she'll answer."

"She's voice-activated?" I glanced at the human male.

"Well, I made it so that if she heard me and didn't answer, it causes this kind of feedback." He waved his hands.

"Wait. If you call her and she doesn't answer, it hurts her?" Buffy pointed. "You're one creepy little dweeb, Warren."

"April!" He called again.

"Warren!" A woman answered and we stopped in our tracks as we looked to see the robot holding up an unconscious Katrina by the back of the neck.

"April."

"Where have you been?" She asked while smiling. "I-I couldn't find you, and this girl kept lying to me, and then she went to sleep." Her smiled fell as she glanced at Katrina.

"April, what did you do?"

"Please don't be angry, Warren. I'm trying very hard to make you happy."

"April, I want you to put the girl down." Buffy stepped towards the robot.

"Warren, what should I do?"

"Talk to her." I looked at Warren when he said nothing.

"P-put her down!" He gestured. "This is Aud. Give Katrina to Aud." Warren said as I went up to them. Carrying her to a bench, I laid her down and Warren and Buffy came over.

"Is she broken?" April asked.

"No, she's alive. I can hear a heartbeat." I said while looking at Buffy.

"Thank God." The man sighed.

"Warren, honey, what's going on? Why did you go away? Is it a game?" The brunette woman asked as her creator stood in front of her.

"No, no. This isn't a game."

"Did I so something wrong?" April questioned. "I waited a long time, and you never came back. A long time." Then she smiled. "I made you five sweaters."

"That's great. You could go back there and get them. So you could wait there-"

"Warren. You have to tell her." The blonde woman said.

"And do it right." I glared. _'Not like I'd know what the right way is....'_

"What is she saying, Warren? What do you need to tell me?" There was a silent pause as Warren looked from April to us and back.

"April, I made a mistake."

"You can't make mistakes." She smiled while shaking her head.

"No, but I did." He stated. "I thought I made you everything that I wanted....but it wasn't what I really wanted. I'm sorry, but it's over."

"But I can be whatever you want." April was still smiling. "I love you. I'll do whatever you want. Would you like a neck rub?" She asked while holding out her arms as she walked towards him.

"No, honey. No." Warren grabbed her hands. "See, I know that you love me, but the truth is, I can't love you." Her smile fell. "I mean, it's not your fault, but....I don't love you." April got this look on her face. "I love her!" He quickly said while pointing at Buffy. April looked at the Slayer and growled.

"She growls?" Buffy's brows furrowed. "You made her so she growls?" She turned to Warren.

"Well-" He was cut off as April grabbed Buffy and pulled her off the bench.

"Buffy!" I shouted as the Slayer was thrown. April went over to the see-saw and broke off a piece before going after Buffy with it. Thankfully, Buffy managed to wrestle it away from her, and when she hit the bench, Katrina woke up.

"What's going on?" She asked as Buffy hit the robot, revealing come circuitry.

"No, no, Trina. Get away." Warren said while motioning the human woman back. Seeing how she was fine enough to move around, I went to go help Buffy. And by help, I mean just stood there in case she needed me. She was actually handling the robot pretty well, so, like I said, I just stood there. I was able to see how resourceful Buffy was with her surroundings as she fought and decided to make mental notes. _'Hey, that was pretty good move.'_ I thought.

When Buffy got caught around the throat by April, I finally moved and drop-kicked the robot. Getting back onto my feet, I watched the brunette stand up and her exposed wiring was sparking. Suddenly, she emitted this high-pitched noise and I had to cover my ears as she began to panic. Her batteries were finally dying and she was powering down.

"Warren? Where are you? What's happening to me?" April questioned as she seemed to lose the control over her body. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked back at Buffy.

"I'll take it from here, Aud." She said solemnly. Giving a look of confusion, I raised a brow.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Buffy looked at April, that sad look back in her eyes. _'Why do I always seem to be missing something?'_ I asked myself in my head.

"Okay....I needed to pick up a few things at the store, anyways." I backed up. "Can never have too many snacks and food in the house." Nodding my head, I couldn't put my finger on what I was missing.


	37. Hour after hour

"Hey, guys! I'm back!" I called while closing the door behind me with my foot since my arms were full of bags. "Do you want me to pick Dawn up from school today?" When I heard crying, I stopped. I smelt vomit and death. _'Did Buffy kill another demon in the house?'_ Furrowing my brows, I walked into the living room.

My whole body froze. My heart felt like it had stopped and my arms fell to my sides. The grocery bags fell to the floor, the glass items breaking as I heard the eggs crack.

"Joyce...." I mumbled while looking down at the pale woman lying in the living room floor. Her eyes were open, her face void of emotion as I strained to hear a heartbeat. "No...." I stepped back while waving a finger. "No, no way in Hell...." Stumbling, I fell back in front of the stairs, unable to look away from Buffy and Dawn's mother.

Tears began to silently fall down my cheeks as I felt a hole beginning to grow inside me. Joyce was dead. She'd been dead for a while now, the scent she gave off told me so. Maybe a few hours now- it was too late to do anything. Shaking my head, I began to sob while repeatedly saying 'no'.

"Aud?" I heard Pops behind me, but I still couldn't look away.

"I should have been here." I mumbled. "I should have been here! That was the whole point of me moving in, to keep the Summers safe!" My nose picked up traces of other humans around Joyce. _'Buffy must have called an ambulance....but that wouldn't have changed anything.'_ "I was supposed to keep them safe!" I yelled.

~

At the hospital, I sat with Buffy and Dawn. I couldn't bare to look at them, I had failed in doing the only job I really had. My sole responsibility was to help them and to make sure nothing happened to Buffy's family, and I failed in doing so.

I just sat there when the others had arrived, their faces grave and their eyes somber. Joyce may not have been my mother, but it sure felt like it. Everyone was hugging, expressing their support and love. Holding my head in my hands, I barley paid attention to them. My head hurt from crying, the lights hurt my eyes, and I just wanted to curl up into a ball. I wished over and over this was all just a bad dream, but I knew it was real and it wasn't a nightmare I was going to wake up from.

"Doctor?" Pops spoke and I looked up. Buffy, Dawn, and Giles all walked towards the the doctor while the others stayed back. Even though they stood so far away, I could still hear them.

"Okay, I've examined your mother's body." He nodded.

"Can we see her?" Dawn asked.

"Dawn, not now." Buffy said lowly.

"The on-site report seems more or less accurate. Your mother did have what looks like an aneurysm-a sudden hemorrhaging from a ruptured arterial vessel near the-uh, where the tumor was removed."

"Shouldn't we have known about that-that was a danger" Buffy questioned.

"Sometimes these things are detectable, and sometimes they're not. Joyce was aware of the possibility of a rupture....and the effects. She didn't even get on the phone, so, clearly this was very sudden." The doctor explained. "She, uh, may have felt a little nausea and probably passed out as it happened. I doubt there was much pain." _'So....she went peacefully?'_ I thought. "And even if someone had been by her side, it's doubtful that this could have been dealt with in time." _'I wouldn't even have been able to help her....'_

"Uh, thank you, doctor." Pops said.

"Are you sure....that there wasn't a lot of pain?"

"Absolutely." Getting up, I walked away.

"Aud, where you going?" Xander asked and I ignored him. Going down a hall, I walked past a nurse's station and stood in front of a window. It would be so easy to just lash out, to just let my rage and sorrow control me. I could easily level this whole hospital, Hell, maybe even the whole town. But I didn't. It wasn't Sunnydale's fault.

Staring out the window, I looked to the horizon. _'She's gone....'_ My mind whispered. _'Joyce's gone, and she's not coming back.'_ Suddenly, I found my hands bleeding from my claws digging into my palms. _'Why can't I turn back time and fix this?'_ Looking at my hands, I watched the blood drip to the floor.

Turning my head, I calmly called to a nurse and told them that there was blood on the floor. Closing my hands into fists, I went back to the waiting room. Standing there, I looked at Buffy and Tara talking. _'Where's Dawn?'_ I thought before sniffing. My legs began to move on their own as I ran. Her scent trail lead straight to the morgue. _'I can't let her see!'_

Sliding to a halt, I looked through the windows on the doors and I heard Dawn screaming. _'No! Not Dawn! I can't let her die!'_ Growling, I burst through the locked doors and attacked the vampire holding Dawn. Yanking him back, I threw him to the ground. He had two bloody hand prints on his shoulders where I had grabbed him, and he grinned as he smelt my blood. 

The vampire jumped to his feet and growled as he lept at me. Stepping to the side, he went past me. Grabbing his leg with my tail, I drug him to the ground. The thud echoed in the quiet room when he fell. Straddling the vampires back, I put my hands on either side of his head, digging my claws into his scalp. With one firm tug, I ripped the vampire's head clean off.

As it turned to dust in my hands, I could hear the growl deep in my chest subsiding. Looking up, I saw Dawn standing up and looking at her mother as she laid on the table under a white sheet.

"Is she cold?"

"It's not her." I slowly rose to my feet. "She's gone."

"Where'd she go?" Dawn asked as I walked up behind her.

"Heaven. Joyce was a wonderful woman." Dawn was reaching out to touch her mother's face, but I grabbed her hand before she could. She didn't need to feel the coldness of death. "You know, she was the closest thing I had to a mother. I can't really remember mine." Gently squeezing her hand, Dawn and I looked down at the body on the table. "....You and Buffy are like the siblings I never had." Dawn squeezed my hand back and I led her out of the morgue.


	38. Of sweet pleasure

I could hardly recall going with Pops and the Summers girls to the funeral home when they went to pick out a casket. To tell the truth, I was still hoping it was all just a bad dream.

"The prices of different florists and the funeral home seems to be fairly competitive." Pops said as we were in the dining room eating dinner. Pops was sitting next to Buffy, helping her go over the work that had to be done for Joyce's funeral.

"Let's just go with that. It's simpler."

"Sure."

"What color flowers?" Dawn asked as she sat back down at the table.

"Uh, white. They're nice." Buffy replied.

"Yeah."

"What about the announcement?" Buffy asked as Willow came back from the kitchen with a pitcher of water. "People are gonna expecting a wake after the burial unless we say something."

"Um, well, we could put a line in the program expressing your mother's preference not to have one." Pops said while taking off his jacket.

"There's no wake?" Willow asked.

"Mom didn't like them." Buffy got a smile as she remembered something. "She said that potlucks are depressing enough as it is."

"She said that? When?" Dawn asked.

"Uh, right before she went in for the operation. We had a talk about what she wanted, in case...." Buffy trailed off as her smile fell.

"She never said anything to me."

"I'm sure she just didn't want to upset you, Dawnster." Xander said. "Now, you better get workin' on that dinner. You barely touched it."

"You really should eat something." I glanced up at her.

"Why should I? You're not."

"This isn't about-" Buffy was cut off by the phone ringing. "I'm all phoned out." She sighed. "Will you?" The blonde turned to Pops. "Oh, unless it's my dad."

"Of course." Pops picked up the phone. "Hello? Yes. Yes, they did. Thank you. Um, the funeral is at 3:00 tomorrow." Pops rose to his feet. "Do you know the _Brown Brothers Mortuary_?" He asked while walking out of the room. 

"Can't believe he still hasn't called."

"Your dad's still AWOL, huh?" Xander looked at Buffy.

"The number he left for us in Spain is no good, a-and I've left messages everywhere. Um," Buffy looked down at the papers on the table "how 'bout a line that just says, _'Following the burial, there'll be_ _no wake'_ \- o-or gathering?" She looked at us. " _'A-at the request of Joyce, there will be no gathering'_? Ugh, that sounds lame." The blonde woman rubbed her forehead.

"What are we gonna do? After, I mean. Are we just gonna come back here?" Dawn raised one shoulder.

"Uh, I-I don't know. I guess so. Um, how about, _'At the request of the family, there will be no wake.'_ "

"Good. Yeah. It's got flow." Xander said after Willow went back to the kitchen.

"I don't want to be here." Glancing up, I put a hand on Dawn's.

"Where do you wanna go?" I asked her lowly while Buffy and Xander were discussing the funeral.

"Can I go to Willow's?" Giving her a small smile, I looked to the kitchen.

"I don't think it'll be a problem. Ask Willow, she's coming back now." I said while listening to the redhead's footsteps.

"Can I go to your place tomorrow?" Dawn looked at Willow as she sat a bowl down on the table.

"Tomorrow?"

"After everything?"

"Um, well, maybe you and Buffy should- I-I don't mind." Willow replied and Dawn turned to her sister.

"Can I?"

"Huh?" Buffy and Xander looked up from the papers.

"Can I go to Willow's tomorrow after the service?"

"Um, if you want to. I guess so."

"I'll, uh, get my sleeping bag out of the attic." Dawn got up and walked away. Staring down at my plate, I wanted to eat, but I just didn't have the heart to. I had a high metabolism, and keeping myself looking human took a lot of energy, so I picked up my fork and forced myself to eat. It was sort of like I was on autopilot because I couldn't even taste anything....

~

"We commend to almighty God....our sister, Joyce Summers." The priest was saying as we stood around the casket. I stood next to Pops, behind Buffy and Dawn. "And we commit her body to the ground. Earth to Earth....ashes to ashes....and dust to dust." Looking to the sky, I wondered where Joyce's soul was. Where did it go after death? Was there Heaven-like dimensions just like there were Hell ones? "The lord bless her and keep her. The lord makes his face to shine upon her and be gracious to her. The lord lift up his countenance upon her and give her peace."

After the funeral was over and the sun was beginning to set, everyone left. I stood next to Buffy, just staring at Joyce's grave. When Dawn walked back to Willow and Tara, Tara came up and tapped Buffy's shoulder.

"Hey. Um, Dawn's kind of ready to go. Can we take her with us?"

"Yeah." Buffy nodded. She should probably get out of here."

"What about you? We can wait if you want."

"I'm fine. Thank you." Tara got this look on her face and I put a hand on Buffy's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Tara. I'm staying as well." She nodded and went back to Dawn and Willow before they all three left. Taking hold of one of Buffy's hands, I held it gently as we stood in front of the freshly turned dirt. I stayed with her even as night fell, but looked at her when a noise caught my attention.

"Someone's coming." I whispered before glancing back out the corner of my eye in an unnoticeable way. "A tall male, short, dark hair....I can't make out the face, but it's a vampire." Buffy looked at me. "Do you want me to take care of it?"

"No, but you can leave now." She said.

"Why?"

"I know who it is."

"....Angel?" Sighing when Buffy nodded, I put my hands into my pockets. "Okay." The following day, Dawn came into the Magic Box and helped out while I spent my time in the training room. Being occupied with something seemed to make me feel the tiniest bit better.


	39. After this I guarantee

"Pops, you don't have to help." I looked at the human male as he was holding a towel and reaching for a plate.

"You cooked." Buffy said a we stood next to each other at the sink-I was washing the dishes before handing them off to her for her to rinse them.

"Oh, come on. I quite like to cook." Pops said while drying the plate. "Helping out makes me feel useful."

"Wanna clean out the garage on Saturday? You could feel indispensable." Dawn asked while bringing more dishes to the sink.

"Hmm. How tempting."

"Dawn, if there are any plates in your room, let's have them before they get furry and we have to name them." Buffy looked over at her sister.

"Hey, I was, like, five then." She stated before leaving the kitchen.

"How is she doing?" Pops asked in a low voice. Buffy answered with a face. "And you two?"

"I'm okay." I handed Buffy a cup.

"Well, some minutes are harder than others." The Slayer rinsed it off and put it in the drying rack.

"I'm so sorry." Pops leaned against the counter. "All I can say is it will get better."

"It has to." Buffy turned off the water as I pulled the drain up in the sink. "We're holding up, though. You know, getting into a routine."

"Good. Routine's good." Pops nodded. "In fact, I was thinking that we might return to our training schedule." There was a quiet pause as I dried my hands off on my pants.

"I don't know." Buffy said. "I was, um, thinking about....maybe taking a break or something." The Slayer set down the towel she had onto the island and headed to the living room. "Just ease off for a while, not get into full slay mode." Pops and I followed her.

"You were doing do well." Giles took off his glasses.

"And-and you were great, helping me with everything." They sat on the couch while I sat on the coffee table. "I'm just starting to feel uneasy about stuff."

"Stuff?" Pops questioned.

"Training, slaying. All of it. I mean, uh, I can beat up the demons until the cows come home, and then I can beat up the cows. But I'm not sure I like what it's doing to me." Buffy said.

"But you've mastered so much. I mean, your strength and resilience alone-"

"Yeah." Buffy cut him off. "Strength, resilience. Those are all words for hardness. I'm starting to feel like being the Slayer is turning _'me'_ into stone."

"Turning you into stone?" I furrowed my brows. "Buffy-"

"Just- think about it." She stood up and took a few steps away from the couch. "I was never there for Riley, not like I was for Angel. I was terrible to Dawn."

"At a time like this-" Pops began.

"No."

"You're bound to feel emotionally numb." He told her.

"Before that." _'Buffy, no. You have a heart of gold like your mother.'_ I thought, but didn't say out loud. I didn't know how to. "Riley left because I was shut down. He's gone." Buffy paused. "And now my mom is gone. And I loved her more than anything, and....I don't know if she knew."

"Oh, she knew." Pops and I said as he stood up and went to Buffy.

"Always." He put a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know." She looked up at him. "To slay, to kill- it means being hard on the inside. Maybe being the perfect Slayer means being too hard to love at all." Buffy looked like she was close to crying. "I already feel like I can hardly say the words."

"Buffy-"

"Giles....I love you. Aud, I love you." She looked at both of us. "Love, love, love, love, love-Giles, it feels strange."

"Well, I shouldn't wonder." Pops sat on the coffee table with me. Turning around, I switched sides I sat on to face Buffy.

"How serious are you about this?" I asked as Pops put his glasses back on.

"Ten." I had to turn back around since she sat down on the couch. "Serious to the amount of 10."

"There is something....in the Watchers' diaries." Pops leaned his elbows on his knees. "A quest."

"A quest?" 

"Like finding a grail or something?" I raised a brow.

"Not a grail. Maybe answers." He nodded. "It would take a day, perhaps two."

"I'm not leaving Dawn, not with Glory looking for her."

"Sure you can. What's the deal?" Dawn came in and sat next to her sister.

"Some Slayers before Buffy found it helpful in regaining their focus, in learning more about their role." Looking at Pops as he talked, I grew curious. "There's a sacred place in the desert. It's not far."

"But I can't go." Buffy turned to her little sister. "I'm not leaving you, Dawn." As I was about to say I could watch Dawn, the young girl spoke first.

"If you have to go learn-I mean, if it'll help you out, I think you should do it. I can hang with the gang. I'll be okay." Buffy looked at Pops, then back to Dawn.

"I love you, Dawn. You know that, right?"

"Yeah. I love you too."

"I love you, _really_ love you."

"Gettin' weird." Dawn awkwardly smiled.

"Sorry. But it's important that I tell you. Weird love's better than no love." They smiled at each other and hugged.

"Should make a _Hallmark_ card with that on it." I chuckled.

~

Going out into the desert with Buffy and Pops, I would breathe fire every now and then from the heat. Despite that, though, we all were wearing jackets because it would get extremely cold in a few hours when the sun would go down. When Pops stopped the car, we all hopped out and followed him to the back.

"What's in the trunk?" Buffy asked.

"Supplies."

"Supplies? I was wondering about that. Like food, water, maybe a compass?"

"What about a book, a gourd, and a bunch of twigs?" Giles pulled out said items from the trunk.

"I don't think I'll be that hungry." Buffy said as I closed the trunk.

"They're for me. Come on. This way." Pops gestured while walking away. The Slayer and I exchanged glances before following. "You see, the location of the sacred place is a guarded secret. I can't take you there myself. I'll have to perform a ritual to transfer my guardianship of you, temporarily, to a-to a guide." Giles said as we were going up a hill. "This'll do." He stopped walking.

"A guide...." Buffy began.

"But no food or water?" I finished.

"So it leads me to a sacred place, and then a week later it leads you to my bleached bones?"

"Buffy, please." Pops said as he set the twigs on the ground. "It takes more than a week to bleach bones."

"So, how's it start?" Buffy and I said at the same time and Pops kind of gave us a look.

"You two are starting to act like bloody twins." He mumbled under his breath. "I, uh, jump out of the circle, then I jump back in it, and then, um," He paused. "I shake my gourd."

"Well, I know this ritual! The ancient shamans were next called upon to do the _Hokey Pokey_ and turn themselves around."

"Go quest." Pops gave Buffy a look while standing up. He then shook the gourd, jumped out and into the twig circle, and shook the gourd again.

"And that's what it's all about." Pops then sat down in the circle, reading from the book in another language. Looking to Buffy, I shrugged.

"Guess you gotta get questing." I said.

~

Sitting on the hood of Pops's car, I looked up at the stars while stuffing some Goldfish into my mouth. Giles was leaning on his car as he took a drink from his thermos lid and sighed.

"I wonder what Buffy's doing."

"Oh, uh, she's probably receiving guidance from her ancestors in the form of faces in the clouds." Giving Pops a look, I pointed at him with a Goldfish.

"This isn't the _Lion King,_ Pops, I'm being serious. And if it was, that would make you Rafiki." He looked back at me.

"I am not a monkey who-who waves around a stick, bonking people on the head with it." Pops replied.

"Could have fooled me with the way you were shaking that gourd around. I better warn Buffy when she comes back to watch out and make sure you don't try to wipe some fruit on her forehead." Smirking, I filled my mouth with Goldfish.

"Brilliant. I raised you and my reward is getting compared to an animated baboon." He rolled his eyes. "Maybe I should hit you over the head with a stick." Pops chuckled.

~

"'Cause what we need right now is a sane Aud and to find Buffy."

"Whoa. Group hang time?" Buffy asked as she and I walked into the living room. The guys were standing around the weapons chest with it open and Xander was holding an axe.

"That-that was quick." Willow looked at me. "And Buffy's here."

"Didn't seem like it to me. Death is my gift." The Slayer said while holding her coat in her arms.

"Aud, we need to talk." Xander gestured to me.

"What about? Is Dawn all right?" I asked while looking around and not seeing the little Summers.

"Is Dawn okay?" Buffy and I looked at everyone.

"Dawn's fine." Willow furrowed her brows.

"Aud, we care about you, and we're worried about you. The way you're acting, the things you're doing-"

"It's wrong." Anya finished what Xander was saying. Giving a confused look, I shifted on my feet.

"Thanks, but, huh?"

"Wait. This shouldn't be about blame." Willow gestured.

"Blame?"

"There's blame now?" Buffy asked.

"No." Willow shook her head. "There's only love and....some fear."

"Why? I told you guys I'd never go dark side. My demon blood is under complete control." I waved a hand.

"Not that. We're just kinda thrown by the you having sex with Spike."

"The what now?" I cleared my throat as Buffy looked at me.

"Okay, that's denial. That usually comes before anger." Anya nodded.

"I'm not having sex with Spike! Remember, I still think kissing is icky." Looking at everyone, I wondered how in the Hell they had gotten that idea into their heads.

"Anger." Anya pointed.

"No one is judging you. It's understandable. Spike is strong and mysterious and sort of compact, but well muscled." Xander moved his hand as he talked.

"I am not having sex with Spike." I clearly stated.

"But I'm starting to think that you might be." Buffy popped off. _'Well, at least she's backing me.'_

"Aud, I saw you." Xander chuckled. "Anya too." The ex-demon nodded. "We saw you and Spike with the straddling."

"That's impossible, I was with Buffy and Pops in the desert." Pointing a thumb at the Slayer, she nodded.

"Spike's mine. Who's straddling Spike?"

"Oh, my God." My jaw hung open as I looked at myself standing in front of me.

"And so say all of us."

"Say, look at you." The metallic smelling me smiled. "You look just like me. We're very pretty."

"Uh, thanks...." I mumbled while just staring at her. She was wearing a leather jacket and a Sex Pistols t-shirt like the ones I owned.

"Two of them." Willow was looking back and forth between her and I while Buffy stood between us, looking for a difference.

"Hey, I know this. They're both Aud." Xander pointed.

"No. She's a robot, can't you smell the metal? She smells like a freakin' piggy-bank." I waved a hand.

"She acts just like that girlfriend-bot that Warren guy made." Buffy said while still trying to find a difference.

"You guys couldn't tell me apart from a piggy-bank with wires?" I glanced at each of them.

"Oh, I don't think I'm a piggy-bank with wires." She shook her head.

"She's very well done." Anya smiled.

"Oh, please." I rolled my eyes while crossing my arms.

"No, Anya's right, Aud. Look, she's even got your freckles and mole." Buffy pointed to the robot's face.

"Spike must have had her built so he could program her to-" Xander stopped as he pointed at me and gestured to the bot.

"Oh, my cheeses."

"Yikes. Imagine the things-"

"No! No imagining, any of you." I cut Willow off while cringing. "It's too gross."

"I already got the visual." Xander raised his hand.

"People, friends of mine, you're forgetting the most important thing. Glory has Spike, and she's going to harm him." Aud-bot said.

"Glory has Spike?" Buffy and I said at the same time.

"Heh, we were gonna bring that up." Xander waved a hand.

"We were getting weapons."

"Grab 'em. We're going now." Buffy looked at the guys.

"And I have to kill him." I nodded. "Slowly and painfully."

"We don't even know where to look." Willow looked at me.

"I know where to start." The Slayer stated.

"Then I can probably track from there." Flexing my claws, I felt my teeth sharpen into fangs.

~

"Glory's key-sniffing snake was about here when we killed it." Buffy said as we stood in the middle of a park. "It was headed back to her."

"Do you think she lives around here?" Willow asked.

"It's not a lot to go on." Xander said.

"It's all we got." Buffy half-shrugged while I had my nose in the air, trying to catch the scent of Hell-god.

"It's quite extraordinary, really." Pops said while tilting his head at the Aud-bot.

"Thank you. But I really think we should be listening to Buffy, Pups." Aud-bot nodded. "She's very smart, and she's gonna help us save Spike."

"Pups? Spike didn't even bother to program my name properly." Pops looked back at us.

"Listen, piggy-bank, we are not going to save him." I pointed at the mechanical me. "We're going to kill him. He knows who the key is-"

"And there's no way he's not telling Glory." Buffy finished.

"You're right. He's evil." Then she smiled. "But you should see him naked. I mean, really."

"Ew-kay...." I cringed. The breeze then switched directions and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. "Whoa, got her." Sniffing, I turned my head while putting my nose back into the air.

"Which way?" Buffy asked.

"This way." Walking off, I began to track Glory.

Rushing into a hotel, the Scoobies and I immediately went into battle. Glory's lackeys were in the lobby and I let my ears point out. These were lightweights, I wouldn't need to let out my tail. Losing focus on hiding my claws, fangs, and ears would give me plenty of strength to take on multiple amounts of these short, scabby demons.

Fighting, I would hit and dodge and kick at the pipsqueaks as they attacked me. A few landed a couple lucky hits, but not hard enough to injure me at all. But when the Aud-bot got damaged, the rest of them fled, knowing they were overpowered.

~

"Is it weird?" Tara asked me with her arms crossed.

"Totally." I nodded while looking at Willow working on the broken robot. Walking over, I sat beside Willow at the table. "At least it's not a very good copy. I mean, yeah, got my freckles and stuff, but look at it." I set my cheek on the table while looking into the blank eyes of the mechanical me.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah." Willow said after a pause. Glancing up, I saw everyone giving this awkward look. My ear twitched when the front door's bell jingled and Pops and Xander walked in.

"What did you guys do with Spike?" I asked. "And please let the tale have a dusty ending."

"We dumped him back in his crypt." Xander said.

"Tried to find out if he'd told her anything, but he was too badly beaten to make much sense." Pops put his hands into his pockets as I sat up.

"Well, even if he told her, he'd just lie to us about it anyway, right?" Anya asked.

"Yeah. You can count on it." Buffy crossed her arms. "But I have to know....now. If he did give us up, Dawn and I need to get out of town. I mean, she could be on her way right now."

"But, uh, not to worry, you know." Pops smiled at Dawn. "I'm sure we'll all be perfectly safe."

"We're safe. Right." Dawn smiled back. "And Spike built a robot Aud to play checkers with."

"I-it sounded convincing when I thought it." Tara said when I looked at her.

"Hey, uh, I think I found something." Willow spoke up from behind the bot's back.

"Looks very complicated in there." Anya stated while walking over to look. "Personally, I'd rather look at guts."

"I found where she's broken. Some of these wires got fried extra crispy. It's an easy fix." She smiled and I gave her a look. "I mean, not that I would." Willow shook her head.

"God, I feel kind of bad for the guy." Xander gestured to the bot. "Get's all whupped, and his best toy gets taken away."

"Xander," He looked at me. "please don't be suggesting what I'd have to kill you for suggesting."

"No, no. Travesty. Completely on board." Xander waved a hand. "It's just....the guy was so thrashed." There was a moment of silence as I looked at the robot.

"I think I may have a solution to our current information problem." I sighed.

"What?" Buffy asked while raising a brow.

"I pretend to be Aud-bot."

~

Calmly opening the crypt door, I strutted over to the vampire laying on a concrete coffin. Standing there, I really got to see what Xander meant by _'thrashed.'_ Thinking before I spoke, I imagined what the broken piggy-bank might say.

"Spike, you're covered in sexy wounds." He slowly rolled his head to the side and looked at me.

"Yeah." Spike forced himself to sit up. "I feel real sexy. Where you been?"

"I fell down and got confused." I mentally rolled my eyes at how absurd this was, but this was my plan. "Willow fixed me. She's lesbian." Nodding, I looked at the beaten man.

"Wil fixed you? Thought they'd melt you into scrap."

"They were confused too." Thinking, I tried to come up with a convincing act to get Spike to think I was the robot. "Do you wanna ravage me now?" I grinned like a dork while mentally vomiting.

"Give us a minute. Got some bones need mendin'." Spike said weakly.

"Why did you let that Glory hurt you?" I asked while looking confused.

"She wanted to know who the key was." He glanced at me briefly before looking down.

"Oh, well, I can tell her," I tossed my arms up at my sides before turning to the door. "and then you won't hav-"

"No!" Spike raised his voice and coughed from doing so. Turning back, I made a confused face again. "You can't ever." He looked at me with one eye not swollen shut. "Glory never finds out."

"Why?" I tilted my head.

"'Cause Buffy- if anything happened to Dawn, it'd destroy her. And those two mean the world to Aud- the other not-so-pleasant Aud. I couldn't live- her being in that much pain." The bleached blonde shook his head. "I'd let Glory kill me first. Nearly bloody did." Looking at him, I couldn't help but feel horrible now. I needed to somehow apologize for thinking he'd do something so awful to Dawn. _'I can't believe I'm about to do this....'_ I mentally sighed as my shoulders slumped.

Taking a step closer, I leaned forward and kissed him. I didn't give a simple peck on the cheek, I kissed him on the mouth. His lips were cold. It only took him a second to know something was off. For one thing, the robot was also cold- I wasn't. Leaning back, I gave him a serious look, seeing how his brows were furrowed as he seemed confused. Then, I began to walk away.

"And my robot?" He asked as I was a few feet away. Turning around, I sighed.

"The Aud-bot is gone." Shifting on my feet, I put my hands into my back pockets. "The piggy-bank smelling me was gross and obscene." Spike looked at the ground.

"It wasn't supposed to-"

"Don't. That robot- it wasn't even real." I began to walk away again, only to stop before I got to the door. "What you did for the Summers and me- that was real. I won't forget it." Looking back over my shoulder, I saw Spike looking at me. "Thank you." I said quietly before leaving, and, for some strange reason, it didn't bother me like I thought it would to kiss Spike.


	40. You'll never want to leave

"Honey, old saying: _'A watched customer never buys.'_ " Xander told Anya.

"They would if they were patriotic." She nodded. Xander looked at Willow while setting down his comic book.

"Okay, I'm going in. Patriotic?"

"Yes." The ex-demon smiled. "I've recently come to realize there's more to me then just being human." She said while I was busy fixing my name tag onto my shirt. "I'm also an American."

"Yes, I supposed you are, in a manner of speaking." Pops agreed as he walked over with his mug in hand. "You were born here- your mortal self." He went to the coffee pot.

"Well, that's right, foreigner." She glanced at Pops briefly before looking back at us. "So I've been reading a lot about the good ol' _US_ of A. Embracing the extraordinarily precious ideology that's helped to shape and define it."

"Democracy?" Willow asked.

"Capitalism: a free market dependent on the profitable exchange of goods for currency, a system of symbiotic beauty apparently lost on these old people." Anya glanced back at the elderly couple. "Look at 'em-perusing the shelves, undressing the merchandise with their eyeballs-all ogle, no cash." She looked at each of us. "It's not just annoying. It's un-American."

"Appalling. Almost as if they no longer think money can buy happiness." Pops said while leaning over and looking at them.

"Totally un-American. Oh, and you know what else is un-American? French people."

"You don't say?" Willow asked sarcastically.

"From what I hear, they don't tip. Now, French old people- that's really the bottom of the barrel, you know?"

"An, how's about we try being a bit less prejudiced and a bit more inclusive?" Xander asked. "Not us, just you."

"Fine." She said before furrowing her brows. "But since we're on the subject-"

"Anya." Xander cut her off.

"No, just let me ask." The ex-demon then looked at me. "Where are you even from?" I felt Xander and Willow's eyes land on me.

"Hey, that's actually a really good question." Willow said. "You don't sound English like Giles, and you sort of talk like an American."

"Well, children," I cleared my throat while placing my elbows on the table and putting my hands together. "I was taken in by Giles when I was a kid, as you all know, so my years in England have dulled my accent. And I speak like an _'American'_ ," I gave air quotes. "because I loved reading Goosebumps books. I picked up my slang and everything else from movies."

"Okay, but where are you from?" Anya furrowed her brows even more. Clearing my throat again, I deepened my faint accent.

"I don't know, Anya, why don't you take a guess?"

"Oh....my....God!" Xander leaned away from me. "That was terrifying."

"You're Russian?" Willow asked.

"I don't know, I was a kid. Ask Pops."

"Hey, Giles?" Willow turned in her seat while catching Pops's attention.

"Yes, Willow?"

"Where's Aud from?"

"Oh, she's Siberian." He said before going back to work. "No one even had the slightest she could breathe fire until she spent her first summer in England. Burnt off nearly everyone's bloody eyebrows when she tried to talk...."

"Well, there you go." I said with my normal voice. "I am Russian after all. That might be why I'm so tough." I joked.

"I'm gonna make those fogies buy things now." Anya said while walking away.

"Hey, what's up?" Xander picked his comic back up as the Summers girls walked in. "It's Dawn Giovanni and the Buffster."

"Hi."

"Hey, everybody."

"We found out what that subtle accent in Aud's voice is." Willow grinned.

"Really? What is it?" Dawn asked as she sat down at the table.

"Apparently," Xander looked at me. "our half-demon friend here is a Rasputin in disguise."

"Oh, don't compare me to that guy." I cringed. "I don't have such a history as his."

"So....you're Russian?" Buffy raised a brow.

"Yup." Popping the 'p', I looked at the Slayer.

"I trust everything went well at the university." Pops questioned Buffy.

"Yep. I'm, uh, all dropped out." She sat down next to Dawn.

"Good on you. Welcome to the real world." Xander said. "Lot of fun to be had on the outside. You'll see."

"Well, it's just for now. I'm thinking that I'm probably gonna go back next semester."

"And that's cool too. Whatever you choose, you've got my support." He waved a hand. "Just think of me as-as your- You know, I'm searching for supportive things, and I'm coming up all bras." Buffy smirked. "So something slightly more manly, think of me as that. Seriously, whatever you need."

"Thank you. Actually, I need to talk to Giles alone for a minute.

"Cool. That's cool."

"Uh, Dawn, why don't you get started on your homework?" Buffy looked at her sister as she stood up. "Uh, if you need help, Wil, could you?" The witch nodded. "Okay."

"I guess I'll man the register while Anya's still bothering the old people." Getting up, I went to the front counter and stood by the register. Looking around the store, I ended up watching Willow and Xander helping Dawn with her work. Hell, even Anya joined in when they made a human triangle around the little Summers. They ended up cracking puns and jokes, and Buffy came out of the back room while we were all laughing.

"What is this? I thought I told you to do your homework."

"I was."

"Please don't lie to me."

"I'm not."

"We were acting out a geometry problem," Willow smiled as the others walked away to get back to work in the store. "'Cause I read this really neat article that said kids learn math better if you stimulate their, uh, visual learning pattern." The redhead's hands were moving as she talked. "You know, using the right side of the brain instead of just the left? Stuff like that."

"Uh-huh." Buffy crossed her arms while getting this look on her face.

"So we made a triangle with our bodies. And that's when I called Xander obtuse, and he got really grumpy, and then Dawn said we were _'acute'_ triangle, and, well, hilarity ensued."

"Right. Well, you know what I think? I think maybe Dawn should do her homework at home."

"B-but it was working. I was really learning." Dawn glanced at Willow before looking at her sister.

"Please get your stuff." Buffy said.

"Fine. Don't listen to me." Dawn got upset and went to get her things.

"Please don't be grouchy with her." Willow asked. "Who among us can resist the allure of really funny-"

"Excuse me, miss. These are the items I wish to purchase." I turned to look at a middle-aged woman setting some things onto the counter. There was a book on spells and demon deflections and a few good-luck charms. _'Oh, would this be considered ironic?'_ I asked myself in my head as I told the woman her total and bagged her items.

"See you at home tonight, Aud." Buffy said as she left the Magic Box with Dawn in following behind.

~

"Well, I hope this isn't a return." Pops said as he was opening a package. "Everyone wants petrified hamsters, and they're never happy with them." I could hear him talking as I was restocking the shelves near the front of the shop. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Willow replied.

"Ah, yes, because your good mood is both obvious and contagious."

"Can you put these up there?" Anya asked me as she walked up beside me.

"You do realize you are taller than me, right?" I raised a brow at the ex-demon.

"Yes, but these books are heavy and I do not feel like lifting them that high." She nodded and I chuckled.

"Fine, hand 'em here." Putting down what I was doing, I held my hands out to grab the books. "Anything else you don't want to do? I find myself in a very helpful mood today....I think it was due to me eating 10 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches earlier...."

"Since you offered, there's a box of rabbit feet that needs to be unpacked."

"Where?"

"Behind the counter." She pointed. Nodding, I walked to the register to grab the box.

"This too....shall pass." Pops was talking to Willow while he was opening a door and hitting the demon behind it on the head with the door. My eyes went a fraction wider as Pops drug one of Glory's goons into the shop and sat it down.

"Wow!" Anya said.

"Now, what do we have here?" Pops asked threateningly while looking down at the robed demon.

"Oh, he's one of those things that work for Glory." The ex-demon pointed.

"Yes, how helpful." Giles began to rub his hands off with a handkerchief.

"I do, indeed, work for the god." The demon's voice grated. "Let me go if you do not wish to incur her anger."

"Well, she's not here." I said while standing next to Pops.

"What a marvelous opportunity for you and me to talk." Giles looked at the beady eyed demon.

"I will not betray Glorificus. I will never talk, no matter what heinous torture-"

"Actually, you're talking quite a lot, just not about the right things." Pops cut him off. "Tell us why you're here."

"No word shall pass my lips that would bring peril to Glorificus."

"Girls, get the twine that's on the counter. Let's tie him up." Pops pointed and as soon as they turned their backs, I raised a clawed hand. Holding my claws a centimeter from his eye, I gave a sharp-toothed smile while letting the markings show on my face.

"If you're quiet, we may get to _play_." Tilting my head, I didn't move my claws. "Pops, am I allowed to play?" I made sure my words were quiet enough to where Anya and Willow couldn't hear me. Pops had taught me when I was young that if I can scare the information out of people- or in this case, things- I wouldn't have to hurt them.

"Don't!" The demon directed his words to Pops. "I'll tell you anything! Please, whatever you want! Just- I'll- anything." I stood straight up while getting rid of my claws before the girls turned back around.

"What happened?"

"He changed his mind." Pops answered.

"I'm-I'm supposed to watch." The demon wasn't able to sit still. "We're watching the Slayer's people, while Glory fetches the key."

"Glory knows who the key is?" Willow said as we all felt panic.

"Oh, God." Pops took off his glasses.

"We've gotta call Buffy." Aud and I said at the same time.

"Too late. Too late." Glory's lackey smiled. "Glorificus will find the witch, and there's nothing you can do to stop her."

"Witch?" Anya asked.

"What do you mean?" A growl grew deep in my chest.

"Tara."

"She's the new one among you. It wasn't hard to figure out. The Glorious One will have found her by now." He said and Willow rushed out.

"Willow, wait! I-I'll go with-"

"No! Call Buffy an-and go look in Tara's room! I'm gonna check the fair!" Grabbing the demon's head, I made him look at the ceiling, exposing his throat.

"If you were going by who's new among us, that'd be me. Why go after Tara?" I snarled while Pops was on the phone trying to call Buffy.

"Glorificus said that no _filthy_ half-demon could be her key." The demon gulped as I pressed my claws against it's skin. Growling, I banged his head against the table before storming out of the Magic Box. _'Dammit!'_ My mind shouted as I was hurrying to help look for Tara. _'If only they didn't know I was a demon, they'd be after me instead of Tara!'_ Running down streets and paths I found Tara's scent on, my frustration grew. _'Why does this keep happening?! Why do good people get hurt? I have demonic blood running through my veins, why can't the bad things just happen to me?! It'd be so much_ _easier if it did!'_

I jumped over someone riding a bicycle because they were in my way and I kept running. _'God. I'd switch places with Tara in a heartbeat- I'd rather have Glory hot on my tail than on her's.'_

"Oh, no. Tara!" Smelling blood, I hurried through the crowd in the fair to the bench Willow and Tara were sitting at. "Willow, do-do you know any spells that can stop the bleeding?!" I asked quickly while taking off my jacket. The witch was crying as she shook her head. _'Okay, okay-I can do this. Be strong. Be strong.'_ I kept repeating in my head as I was trying to keep calm.

Wrapping my jacket around Tara's hand, she kept mumbling about something being dirty on her. Taking a deep breath, I looked at Willow.

"Wil, I need to know the closest place I can go to get medical care for Tara. Her hand feels broken, and I'm smelling a lot of blood here."

"Th-the hospital."

"Okay, I need you to help me get Tara there." Glancing at the two witches, I could feel the turmoil of feelings trying to rise up in my head, but Willow needed my help more than I needed to let my rage out on Glory. "Come on, we gotta go." Willow nodded and helped me get Tara to her feet.

~

"Willow!" I called while running into the hotel Glory resided in. After taking Tara to the hospital, she was given a cast and was forced to stay a night in the psych ward. Willow wanted revenge and Buffy thought she had talked her out of it, but I knew better when I noticed certain things missing from the Magic Box. The witch's scent was all over the loft where Pops kept the more potent texts and spell ingredients.

"Aud?!" The redhead was running down the stairs with the Slayer in tow. I instantly saw Willow's black eyes and it confirmed my suspicions. She really had taken the missing black arts items.

"I guess I was the one late to the party." I quickly said while following the two women out. "Why isn't Glory following?" I called as we were hurrying through the park.

"I did a spell!" Willow said back to me.

~

"Chicken salad?" Buffy held out a sandwich.

"Right here." Willow reached out and took it.

"Eggplant, that's me." She pulled more sandwiches from the white paper bag. "Salami with-eww! Peanut butter? Dawn." She handed it to her sister.

"Yeah, like eggplant is normal." She took her sandwich. "It's what, half egg, half plant? 'Cause that's just unnatural."

"What's Tara got?" Willow asked.

"Oh, I got her tuna. Does she like?" Dawn questioned while Buffy handed me my PB&J. "Tara?" Dawn held the sandwich out to her. The woman looked from it to Willow and back.

"Plastic and their six sisters. Six sick sisters." She said. "Willow?"

"It's okay." The redhead told her girlfriend while the Slayer pulled bags of grapes from the paper bag. "L-let's just start slow today. Um, Buffy, could I have that?" She pointed to an applesauce cup and Buffy handed it to her with a spoon. "Here you go." Willow opened the container and began to feed Tara. "That's my girl."

"Can I help?" Dawn asked while I bit into my sandwich. Willow nodded while handing the applesauce to the little Summers girl.

"What are you gonna need?" Buffy questioned.

"I don't know." Willow answered. "They gave me a lot of stuff to keep her calm." The redhead sadly looked at Tara. "They said I might have to restrain her at night. But....sometimes she's fine. She looks at me and....she's fine."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't-"

"It's okay. I can do this." Willow put a hand on Tara's knee. "I'm gonna take care of her, even if she never...." She trailed off. "She's my girl."

"I understand." Buffy said while stroking Dawn's hair.

"I know you do. Hear that, baby? You're my always." On an impulse, I hugged Willow after she kissed Tara on the forehead.

"I _will_ find a way to help....even if it kills me." I whispered into the witch's ear. As I was leaning back to sit down, the whole wall flew out.

"I told you this wasn't over." Glory leaned on the broken wall.

"No! The place is cracking. It's cracking! Cracking! No, no!" Tara began to act hysterically.

"No, Tara, i-it's okay." Dawn tried to reassure the witch.

"Oh, look at that." Tara reached out to the little Summers. "Look at that. Oh, the light. Oh, it's so pure. Such pure, green energy." I heard Dawn gasp as I looked wide-eyed at Glory. "Oh, It's so beautiful." _'Oh, God, no.'_ I thought while seeing Glory smile. _'No, not now-what do I do? Think, Aud, think!'_


	41. Shut your eyes and think about

"Buffy, run!" I shouted while pointing to the door. Buffy grabbed Dawn and broke through the door. Baring my fangs at Glory as she stepped into Tara's room, Willow stopped her with a spell. Forcing the Hell-god back, I reached out and helped Tara to her feet and hurried out of the dorm, helping Willow escape with Tara.

~

"A-and then, whoosh! All of a sudden, Glory's standing right there in front of us, all skanky and blonde and thinking she's all that just 'cause some bumpy heads kiss her stinky feet." Dawn was saying as we were at Xander's apartment. "She does have nice feet. And she's coming right at us, and Buffy's just standing there, not even blinking, like _'bring it on_ ,' and-wham! Hell bitch in orbit." She punched a fist into her palm while smiling.

"Go, Buff." Xander said.

"I-I knew you'd best Glory eventually. I mean, a-all our years of training-"

"A truck hit her." Buffy stopped him as she was looking out the window.

"Oh."

"You threw it at her?" Anya asked hopefully.

"Well, no. She more kind of waited for it to hit Glory. Uh, but then Buffy ran really fast, and we got away."

"I don't know how we got away." Buffy stated. "That truck couldn't have slowed her down for more than a second."

"Well, _'how'_ isn't important. All that matters is that the two of you are safe." Pops gestured to the Summers.

"Safe?" Buffy scoffed while turning around. "We've barely been able to manage not getting seriously dead every time we've crossed paths with Glory. Now that she knows that Dawn is the key...." She trailed off.

"There must be something in the _Book of Tarnis_ that we've missed, something that we can use against Glory." Pops waved a hand as Buffy turned back to the window.

"Piano." Anya offered.

"Because that's what we used to kill that big demon that one time." Xander added. "No. That was a rocket launcher. An, what are you talking about?"

"We should drop a piano on her. Well, it always works for that creepy cartoon rabbit when's he's running from the nice man with the speech impediment."

"Yes, or perhaps we could paint a convincing tunnel on the side of a mountain." Pops said sarcastically. "Let's just keep thinking, everyone. Perhaps we should reassemble at the magic shop-"

"We can't fight her." Buffy and I said at the same time.

"Well, not yet, no."

"No. Not ever." Buffy's voice had a firm tone.

"She's too powerful, Pops." I shook my head. "Glory's....Glory's scent _alone_ makes my fur stand on end. Whenever she's near, _I_ feel like the prey instead of the predator."

"We're not gonna win this with-with stakes or spells or-or pulling out some uranium power core. She's a God, and she's coming for us, so let's just not be here when she starts knocking."

"Run away?" Anya looked at Buffy. "Finally, a sensible plan."

"That's not what she meant." Xander raised a hand. "Is it?" The Slayer and I exchanged glances.

"We can't stay here."

"She'll just kill us off one by one until there's no one left standing between her and Dawn."

"Buffy, Aud, we all understand the severity of the situation, but there must be another-"

"No!" I cut Pops off while looking him in the eye. "We stay, we'll all _die_."

"Show a hands for that option." Buffy lowered her hands to her sides. No one said anything. "All right. Nobody goes home. Nobody tells anybody we're leaving. Just pack up whatever supplies we need, and that's it-we're gone."

"Cool. Don't have to study for that geometry test." Dawn tried to brighten the mood by seeing a good side to this dark time.

"What about wheels? I don't think everybody's gonna fit in the _Xandermobile_."

"Just get your stuff together. Aud and I'll handle the rest."

~

"We'll feel oddly worse." Pops said as I opened the RV door.

"Just get in." I rolled my eyes. Holding the door as everyone piled in, Buffy and Dawn were already sitting at the table.

"What's he doing here?" Pops said coldly while looking at the Vampire behind the wheel.

"Just out for a jaunt. Thought I'd swing by and say howdy."

"Out." Giles tossed his bag down.

"He's here because we need him." Buffy looked up from the maps.

"The Hell we do." Xander glanced at the short blonde.

"Look, if Glory finds us, he's the only one besides Buffy and I that has any chance of protecting Dawn." Closing the RV door, I heard Buffy raise her voice after Xander said something.

"Buffy, come on."

"Look, this isn't a discussion!"

"He stays. Get over it." I said lowly while walking between the two human males. The Slayer stormed off to the room in the back with her maps and slammed the door shut while I leaned on a counter.

"Buckle up, kids. Daddy's puttin' the hammer down" Spike said while grinning and wearing those stupid, round goggles. He then hit the gas pedal and drove away.

~

After a while, Spike and Pops switched places behind the wheel. Pops had to tear off some of the aluminium foil covering the windshield so he could see the road.

"Shouldn't someone be asking, _'Are we there yet?'_ " Anya questioned. "Isn't that what small, irritating children do?" She looked around at everyone.

"That kinda only works if you know where you're going." Dawn told her. The ex-demon nodded as Xander was groaning and looking like he was going to be sick.

"Do we know where we're going yet?" Anya called to Pops.

"We'd already be somewhere if _Captian Slowpoke_ would give up the wheel." Spike popped off as he was sitting in the floor. "Hey, gramps, bloody step on it."

"Don't call Pops that." I kicked Spikes leg with my foot.

"Step on what? I've driven tricycles with more power." The RV rattled as the road got bumpier and Xander was looking worse.

"Is anybody else queasy?" Xander asked.

"He doesn't travel well." Anya said while rubbing the man's shoulder. "He's like fine shrimp."

"I should've nicked that _Porsche_ I had my eye on." Dawn and I gave the vampire a look as he was talking. "There's just enough room for me, you, big sis, and short stack." Then, even Xander was giving him a look. "What?"

"Would you give it a rest or-"

"Or what, you're gonna toss your cookies on my shoes?"

"Or you can be undead man walking. See how fast you can hitch a ride with a flaming thumb."

"Fine. Shrimp." 

"You two stop it before I knock your heads together." I glared and Xander got up while going to the front with Pops. Spike sighed and got up while taking Xander's now vacant seat. Leaning off the counter I headed to the bedroom.

"Any ideas on where to head?" I asked while closing the door behind me.

"Not yet." She sighed as I sat down next to her. "Where could we possibly go to hide from a Hell-god?" Buffy tossed her hands up while looking down at the maps.

"Well," Giving a soft smile, I thickened my accent. "there is a lot of unknown areas in the mother country." I joked. "But the same goes for everywhere else."

"Xander was right, it does sound weird." Buffy chuckled. "Like you've suddenly become a part of the Russian Mafia."

"Yeah, I know." Talking normally, I sighed. "But if we leave the U.S., we'll need passports or get a hold of the Watchers Council to see if they'll smuggle us out."

"That would bring too many people into this." Buffy shook her head.

"Look, I know. But there aren't many people willing to smuggle all of us out. The more people, the more of a risk from being caught by border patrol."

"Hey. I think Anya's gonna try to cook." Dawn said while peeking her head into the room. "Wanna come watch the tears and recriminations?" She smiled.

"Maybe later." Buffy softly smiled. There was a pause as Dawn just stood in the doorway, looking as if she was thinking.

"Thanks." The girl spoke softly.

"For what?"

"You know. Pretty much everything. You've both done a lot."

"Yeah. We're doing a great job."

"You are." Dawn furrowed her brows.

"I'm the Slayer, the chosen one. All mythic and defender-y. Evil nasties are supposed to flee from me, not the other way around." Buffy shook her head.

"You're not fleeing. You're....moving at a brisk pace."

"Quaintly referred to in some cultures as the _Big Scaredy Runaway_." I looked down at the maps as Dawn closed the door and sat down next to us.

"It's the most amazing thing anyone's ever done for me."

"It just keeps coming." Buffy's eyes began to water up. "Glory....Riley....Tara....mom."

"I know, but there's a bright side."

"There is?" The Slayer and I asked.

"At least things can't get any crazier, right?" And as soon as she said that, an arrow pierced the wall.

"You know this is your fault for saying that."

"You've seen enough movies to know that that phrase is the Hell starter." I stated as we peeked out a window to see behind the RV.

"Come out now! Bring up the ranks! Advance!" A high number of men on horseback were following the RV, and looking closely, I could see the tattoos on their foreheads and all the weapons they carried. Buffy sighed as she closed the blinds.

"Pops!" I called while hurrying out of the bedroom.

"I see them!"

"See who?" Spike asked as Buffy and Dawn walked past me and an arrow nearly stabbed the vampire if the wall hadn't stopped it.

"Arrows!" Xander shouted.

"Bloody Hell!" Spike jumped back.

"They're throwing arrows!"

"Dawn, get down under the table." Buffy quickly told her sister.

"Horsies!" Tara grinned while looking through the window.

"Tara!" Willow pulled the other witch back as an arrow hit the RV where she had been.

"Weapons?" Pops shouted.

"Hello! You're driving one." Spike replied as Buffy tossed me the bag she was carrying.

"Don't hit the horsies!" Willow yelled.

"Uh, we won't." Buffy said. "Aim for the horsies." She leaned forward to say lowly to Pops. The RV began to rock back and forth from Giles' driving, making everyone grab onto solid things for dear life. I grabbed the counter while using my tail to help keep my balance as I still held onto the bag.

"Did we shake 'em?" Xander asked just before a sword pierced the top of the vehicle right in front of his face.

"Time to open the bag now." I quickly said as I wrapped my tail around the sink faucet. Unzipping the bag, I dug in  
it for some weapons I knew where in there somewhere.

"Stay low!" Buffy called. "Watch out for- Aud!"

"Wha-oh!" I looked up as a blade was coming towards my face.

"Now might be a good time for something heroic." Spike said as he held the sword by the blade, catching it before it hit me.

"Aud, hatch!" Buffy said while crawling onto the table. Standing beside her, I gave her a boost up as she climbed to the top of the RV and Spike shouted in pain as the sword was pulled back up.

"Oh, lovely." Grabbing a towel, I ripped it in half. "Give me your hands, blood breath." I demanded. Wrapping the towel shreds around his bleeding palms, I talked in a serious tone. "Keep the pressure on."

"Always do, sweet bit." Spike said before hissing with pain when I intentionally tightened the towel too tight. My head jerked up when I heard Dawn screaming as hands broke through the window.

"Dawn! Stay down!" I raised my voice as Anya began to hit the knight with her frying pan over and over until he fell back out of the window.

"Not a piano, but hey." Anya said while looking around. Then, things began to quiet down and I walked up behind Pops.

"How many are out there?" I asked and Pops looked out the window and checked the mirrors.

"I don't see any.... Everyone all right?" He looked back at the others.

"Pops! Look out!" Looking through the windshield, I saw a knight running right at us on his horse. He threw a spear before galloping off the road. "Pops!" And the RV went out of control, flipping onto its side in a ditch.


	42. What I'm about to do

"Ugh....everybody okay?" I questioned while pushing myself off the side of the vehicle. I heard their replies and groans before looking to the driver. "Oh, my God! Pops!" Quickly getting to my feet, I went to Giles' side, ripping off his seatbelt to get him out of the wreck. We had to all climb out of the hatch on the roof to get out and Pops' shirt was staining with blood.

"We gotta find shelter." Xander stated as Buffy ran to us.

"Right bloody quick." Spike added while shading himself with a blanket.

"Buffy!" I called, feeling panic constrict around my heart. "We have to help Pops." She rushed over and grabbed Pops's free arm to help me hold him up.

"Come on, this way." Buffy then led us down the dusty road until we found an abandoned auto repair station. Once we were in, Buffy handed Pops off to Spike and we both lifted him up onto the counter. "Okay, Wil?"

"I'm on it. Careful!" Willow said as Pops was clearly in pain. He was bleeding pretty heavily from where the spear had struck him in the side.

"I'm-I'm so sorry, I-I know you're supposed to leave it in, but-but the spear, it was-it was pinning Pops in the RV and-and-"

"Aud, it's going to be okay." Willow looked at me as she folded up a jacket and set it under Giles's head. Nodding, I still felt the chains of panic and fear closing in all around me.

"Okay, okay- I'll just find something to fix him up with!" I stepped back, then began to rummage around the auto repair store. _'Come on, something! Something-anything!'_

"Buffy!" I heard Willow shout not but a few seconds later. Looking back, I was clearly losing control and focus, seeing that my claws were out and I was leaving marks on everything I grabbed as I dug through piles of junk. My heartbeat sounded in my ears as I felt my tail curling and uncurling.

"There's nothing here!" I cried. "Nothing!" Suddenly, a flaming arrow broke through a crack in the boarded up windows.

"Dawn, get down!" Buffy quickly took her sister behind the counter while Xander put out the arrow.

"We got company. And they brought a crusade." Xander looked at us after peeking out a window. Arrows were flying, my blood rushing in my veins as I put out as many fires as I could.

"Willow!"

"I'm working on it!" Buffy and Spike pushed an old coffee dispensing machine in front of the door to keep the knights from coming in that way. They were swarming over the windows, hitting the boards with their axes.

"Buffy!" I heard Dawn scream. The Slayer went to her and a knight burst through the back door.

"Hey!" I snarled, grabbing his attention. He swung his mace and it caught me on the jaw. Falling back, I furrowed my brows. _'I am so not in the mood for this!'_ Spike screamed in pain while holding his head after he punched the knight, and I jumped back to my feet. My tail swayed as I looked at the man. When he rose his mace, I attacked his large, unprotected body. Sure, he was wearing chainmail and armor, but my fists could dent any well made chest-plate.

Xander drug him to the back after I took the knight down, and I was ready to fight again as another one of the knights made his way in.

"The key." He pointed his sword and I grabbed the mace off the ground while throwing it at his hand to disarm him. Watching Buffy fight had taught me how to use my surroundings to my advantage rather than just relying on my brute strength and speed alone. Grabbing him, I rammed his head into a column, knocking him out. That was when Willow finally got the barrier spell up.

"Wil, how long will it hold?" Buffy asked.

"Half a day maybe." She shrugged one shoulder while looking around before going to a window. "Or until Heckle and Jeckle punch a hole through it." She said while looking at the two priests mumbling prayers.

"So," Spike sighed. "what's the story with these role-playing rejects?"

"Let's find out." Buffy looked over at me and the knight as I stood over the unconscious man. I didn't care anymore if the others could see the markings on my face, it was hard enough to keep the rest of my demon parts from showing.

~

"You sure scarface here can habla the English?" Spike asked as we were looking at the knight who was now tied up.

"Yeah." I glanced at the vampire as my tail swayed like a cat's.

"He understands me." Buffy crossed her arms.

"You were warned we would return, Slayer."

"Took you long enough." The blonde woman stated. "What are you supposed to be, some kind of chief?"

"General." He gave her a look.

"General. In charge of what, getting captured?" Buffy stepped towards him.

"You do not frighten me, child. The instrument of chaos must be destroyed." He sent an evil look to Dawn. Grabbing his forehead and smacking the back of his head to the support beam he was tied to, I bared my fangs.

"Look at her that way again, and my teeth will be the last thing you ever see." I threatened the man.

"As I've been told," He said as I let him go. "the Slayer and her pet protect the key of the Beast."

"It's not that simple." Buffy stated.

"And I'm no pet." A growl rumbled in my chest.

"Yes." He ignored my comment. "The key has been transformed, given breath, life. Yet, this makes no difference." The general looked right at Buffy. "They key is the link. The link must be severed. Such is the will of God."

"She doesn't remember anything about being this key you're all looking for." Buffy raised her voice. "The only thing that she remembers is growing up with a mother and a sister that love her. What kind of god would demand her life for something that she has no control over?" He didn't answer.

"Look, we are not your enemy. Tell your men to stand down." I said, and the general's face hardened.

"No."

"It's not her fault!" Buffy shouted.

"She's a human girl now!" Pointing at Dawn, I could feel my anger rising again. I had to keep it under control, it was bad enough that we were trapped and surrounded by these knights.

"The key is too dangerous to be allowed to exist....no matter what form it has been pressed into."

"I will not let anyone tell me-" Buffy was cut off by Tara crying out. We all hurried out and went to the front of the station.

"What happened?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know. She just went nuts." Anya answered as Tara was struggling in Willow's arms.

"Shh. Shh." Willow was trying to calm her.

"Time!" Tara broke free. "T-t-time!" She put her hands up on a boarded window.

"Tara. Tara." The redhead went to her. The woman brushed her off while going to another window. "Tara!" Willow pulled her back. "We have to do something! She-she can't just stay this way. Buffy."

"Time, time, time." Tara kept repeating as Willow was trying to comfort and calm her.

~

"Willow." Buffy said after talking quietly with Pops. From the sound of his heartbeat, he had fallen asleep. "Open a door." Buffy took Xander outside with her, telling me to stay inside due to my lack of ability to hide my demonic traits. I agreed with her decision to do so, there would be no way of telling of how'd they would react to seeing me. They already knew she was in league with a demon, but I even found my current self frightening to look at at times.

Once they came back in, Willow used a spell to get the payphone in the shop to work. With it, she called her friend from the hospital. Ben arrived pretty quickly for it being so late, and I hid behind a column covered in license plates while watching him take care of Pops.

"You, uh, forgot to mention the costume party outside." He looked at Buffy. I wanted to be at Pops's side, but right now he needed the guy working on him to have steady hands and to not be scared. Humans didn't usually take it very well when they saw a demon- even if it was only a half-demon.

"Sorry. I didn't know who else to call." Buffy replied.

"No, it's okay. I mean, yeah, not how I pictured seeing you again, but, uh, I'll take what I can get." Ben smiled at Buffy.

"Oh, please." I mumbled. "Buffy could do better."

"Oh, you showing interest in her dating affairs now?" Spike popped off. "I thought you hated that stuff, short stack." Glaring at him, I leaned back on the column and crossed my arms.

"No, I just want him to shut up and fix Pops." My tail twitched. After a while of standing in hiding, I heard the snap of rubber gloves being pulled off.

"All right. I think I got him stabilized, but there's a lot of damage. We need to get him out of here." Ben said and I peeked back around the column to look.

"Well, I think the guys with the pointy swords kinda of have other ideas." Buffy glanced to the door as Anya walked over to Willow and a now calm Tara.

"Don't they always?"

"Look, I-I know this must seem extra _Outer Limits_ to you."

"This? No, I've seen things you wouldn't believe." Ben told Buffy. "You know, emergency room, full moon on a Saturday night."

"If this gets too weird, just tell me. I'll understand." The Slayer looked up at the human male.

"Don't worry about me. I won't leave until I've worn out my welcome." Rolling my eyes, I couldn't take it anymore. Slipping out from behind the column, I walked to the back of the building.

"How are your feelers?" I heard Xander asking as I entered the room.

"It's nothing compared to the little bits we're gonna get chopped into when the _Renaissance Faire_ kicks the door in. And here we bloody sit."

"It's not like we got much of a choice." Xander said to Spike.

"We could make a break for it." The vampire waved a hand. "Use _General Armor All_ as a shield," He gestured to the man tied to the support beam. "get to the Doc's car, and-"

"Great plan." I cut in while crossing my arms. The two males looked at me as I leaned against the wall. "And while all the hacking and slashing's going on, what are you gonna be doin'? Huh?" I asked as my tail swayed. "Throwin' migraines and mean words at 'em?"

"Look, we stay here, we all die." Spike stood up while looking at me. "At least this way, some of us might get-"

"No." Buffy's firm voice caught our attention. "We're all gonna make it. I'm not losing anyone." Spike shook his head while looking down and putting his cigarette between his lips. "Check the supplies. See if anyone's hungry." She glanced back at me. "Ben was able to get Giles stable."

"I know." I stood up off the wall. "I was listening." Giving a small smile, I left with the guys, leaving Buffy alone with the general.

Walking into the main part of the building, I went over to Tara and Willow while making sure I went unseen by Ben. "Hungry?" I asked.

"A little." Willow looked up at me.

"Here, all I managed to snag before Ben came walking past was this." Handing Willow an apple and a couple of sandwiches, I crouched next to her. "How's Tara holding up?" Looking at the sleeping witch, I felt a tinge of pain inside of me.

"She calmed down a while ago, but I can tell she still wants out." She glanced at Tara before looking at me. "Is there anything else that Tara could eat? She still doesn't like plastic bags." Smiling, I nodded.

"Yeah, Ben should be somewhere else by now, come on." Standing up, Willow woke Tara and we went to the back to look at the food we had. "Hop up, Tara, let's see what we got." I pat my hand on a counter after clearing some junk out of the way. "The food's over there." I pointed it out for Willow. "I'll watch her, I don't know what she'll eat."

"Okay. Thanks." Willow softly smiled and nodded.

"Ow! Ow-ow-ow!" I cringed while turning around. "Tara, my tail isn't for pulling." Gently taking her hand off the end of my tail, she laughed.

"Soft." Then, she reached for it. "Want it."

"Hold up, there, little witch." I grabbed her hand. "Can you be nice?" Raising my brows, I looked at her. She nodded furiously and I narrowed my eyes. "You're not lying, are you?" She shook her head. "Okay." Smiling gently, I let her have the end of my tail. Tara began to pet it gently, liking how it felt. It must have reminded her of the kitten her and Willow had- I think I remembered them telling me about it a few times. Willow came back with a can of fruit. and tried to feed Tara.

"Wriggling." She'd say while pushing the spoon away.

"Come on, Tara." Willow pleaded. "You have to eat something."

"Want me to try?" Anya asked as she walked up. Tara went back to petting my tail as I hopped up and sat next to her.

"Don't know. I'm gettin' used to pickin' fruit outta my hair." The redhead said. Ben walked in as Willow handed the can to Anya. My eye's opened a fraction wider as I quickly sat on my hands to hide my claws. _'Maybe he'll just think of tattoos when he sees my face or-or maybe even just face paint!'_

Looking away, I tried ignoring the human male as he was cleaning off his tools in the sink. I would go check on Pops, but that would mean getting up and risking Ben seeing I wasn't human. Plus, he was always around Pops. A minute after he came in, he left, and I sighed with relief.

"You have to let me out!" Ben came running in only a few minutes later.

"Ben?" Dawn was following him.

"You don't understand. I gotta get out! Open a door now!" He was freaking out, and his shouting brought in Buffy and Spike.

"W-what happened?" Buffy looked to her sister.

"I-I don't know. He just freaked out." Dawn looked completely confused and I could hear Ben's heart racing.

"Let me out!" He shouted.

"Okay. W-Wil, open a door."

"No!" He screamed while holding his head and I went to my feet. "Ha!" Ben transformed into Glory and the woman stretched out her arms. _'No!'_ I thought as I began to growl. "Well, what do you know? Little Ben finally did something right." She said while looking around.

"The Beast." The general stated.

"Hey, it's Gregor." Glory grabbed a hubcap from the wall and threw it like a Frisbee. It impaled the general in the torso, killing him in seconds. "Now it's not." The Hell-god made the fur on my tail puff out as the hair on the back of my neck stood on end "That face- Oh my, this is my lucky day!" She smiled at me. "Who would have thought the Slayer's pet was an Ustrina Augendae?"

"You know what I am?" I froze.

"Of course, and you're coming with me." Glory pointed at me and I felt my blood run cold at the look in her eyes. Spike went to attack her, but she just simply pushed him back into Xander. Buffy then threw a punch, but was tossed into Willow. Grabbing Dawn, I held her behind me as Glory stepped closer.

"Stay back!" I snarled.

"Oh, you don't scare me, furball." She drew back a fist and swung.


	43. Sit back, relax, I'll take my time

I screamed when I woke up, panting as I felt my heart slowing from its rapid beat. _'Hold up....'_ I thought. _'Why can't I move?'_ Looking around, I found myself in a windowless room made of concrete. My hands were chained together behind me and my legs were chained to the legs of the chair I sat in.

"About time you woke up." Glory was looking at me, her chin in her hand. "I thought you were gonna sleep forever."

"What?"I froze. "Wait, where's Dawn?!"

"Don't worry, the key is fine. She doesn't bleed until you do." Glory waved a hand. "So," She rose to her feet. "how'd a thing like you find itself in this dimension?"

"Wait, you know what I am." Shifting in my seat, I looked at her. "What do you mean _'this dimension'_?"

"Oh, you don't even know what you are?" Glory grinned. "Do you?" She rose to her feet. "I bet you wanna know, huh?" The Hell-god tilted her head at me. Swallowing, I looked at her. _'Yes.'_ I thought as I nodded. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you, you're gonna die soon anyway."

"Why?"

"Your blood." Glory grabbed my chin. "Your people were named pretty bluntly- no imagination went into it." She shrugged. "But as the Ustrina Augendae name implies, your blood enhances magic. It even heals otherworldly things like demons....and gods. The fresher, the more potent." And she was suddenly holding a knife. "It's like a super-charged energy drink without the side-effects of a crash."

She cut her hand while smiling before she cut my cheek.

"Now, let's see how strong your blood is." Glory wiped up the blood with her finger before the cut on my cheek healed. Putting her finger into her mouth, she showed me her hand as her wound closed. "Oh, you're just a half-breed." She tossed the knife behind her. "Either way, it's still strong enough to work."

"Work for what?" I asked.

"Aren't you listening? Your blood enhances magic- I'm gonna bleed you with little Dawnie to make me get home faster."

"Don't you dare call her Dawnie." I snarled.

"Aw, don't be like that." She poked my nose. "I thought we were getting pretty close. You know, with how I'm telling you all about yourself."

"Whatever." I jerked my head away while looking to the side.

"Anyways, I really liked your dimension." Glory went on. "It was so tropical, palm trees and sandy beaches everywhere." The Hell-god began to pace. "Your kind inhabited the islands and areas with volcanoes- the hard to reach areas. But once it got out about your blood- look out, your being hunted down. They made soft scarves from your pretty tails and used your hearts and blood in spells to make them stronger."

"So the fire breathing and the fangs wasn't enough to scare them away."

"No." She grinned. "Because your world is all tropics and sun, a simple spell to make it colder was all it took. Can't be all demonic if you're frozen."

"Siberia." I mumbled as it dawned on me.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." I quickly said.

"No, no, I heard that." Glory pointed. "You said _Siberia_. Let me guess, that's where you thought you were from?" She grinned. "Oh, maybe mamma Ustrina skipped dimensions and skedaddled up to Russia to hide." The Hell-god put her hands onto her hips. "That'd be why you're so pale. Lack of all that sunlight your world has."

"Your Highness!" There was a knock at the door.

"What?" Her head turned to look as one of her followers entered the room.

"We really need to be getting the demon ready for the bleeding."

"Can't it wait, I was talking here." She waved a hand at me.

"Oh, magnificent one, it cannot. As the moment to return home draws near, we lose time to get her prepared."

"Fine, have at it. I'm going to go give little Dawnie a visit." Glory headed for the door and I began to struggle against the chains.

"No! You stay away from her!" I shouted. The Hell-god only laughed while waving good-bye as more of her demons entered the room. "Back off! Stay away!" Snapping my jaws, I bit at the hands that reached out to me.

"Hold still, Ustrina. Being used by the great Glorificus is an honor you should be proud to have."

"Here, I got the stuff to calm the demon." Another of Glory's goons came in while carrying a bowl with smoke coming from it. I couldn't see what was burning, but whatever it was, it's scent alone was making my limbs heavy.

"No....don't touch me....you creeps...." I struggled to say as the demons began to unlock the chains and pull me from the chair. _'Now! Come on, move! Move!'_ I screamed at my body but it wouldn't listen. They took my clothes, forcing me into this animal skin tube top and loincloth.

"Oh, what a privilege it is to have your heart ripped out by the wonderful Glorificus." One demon sighed and the others agreed as they laid me down on the floor.

"It was a good omen that our god came upon such a beast as you. The fates smile upon our Glorificus' return home by sending her an enhancer." They began to paint strange symbols on my skin and all I could do was lie there as the smoke made me feel paralyzed.

When they finished with me, they put the chains back on me, attaching me to a pole instead of the chair. One demon carried the smoking bowl close to my face as they carried me out of the room. I could hear power tools and insane mumbling as I saw the sky above me.

"Aud!" I heard Dawn scream from above. Looking, I saw her being drug up a staircase. _'Dawn....'_ Seeing her, I felt tears in my eyes. I couldn't help her. Hell, I couldn't even move a finger. _'I'm going to fail in keeping yet another Summers safe.'_ I didn't fight the tears as I was taken up the stairs after Dawn.

_'God, why can't I be stronger?'_ I thought. _'Why can't I be more than a useless half-breed with nothing more to me than physical strength easily taken away by this pitiful smoke?!'_ I mentally screamed. The higher we went, the closer the demon held the bowl of an unknown substance burning due to the wind.

"Aud!" Dawn screamed again when we reached the top. The demons carrying me set me down and took off the chains. "Aud, what's wrong?! What did you do to her?!" Dawn shouted as Glory's lackeys laid me next to the hole in front of the little Summers girl. As soon as I saw her face, I forced myself to stop crying. _'No, she doesn't need to see this.'_

"This will keep you calm until she gets here." A demon said while tying a face mask onto my head, and it smelt exactly the same as the smoke in the bowl. "She will come to you soon." He said as they all were leaving.

"Aud, please, say something. Why aren't you moving?" Looking at her, I tried to tell her it was okay. The cold air nipped at my skin and the fur on my tail swayed from the wind. "Don't worry, Buffy will come. She always comes." Dawn reassured me. In my head, I was smiling, but on my face I was just giving a blank expression.

_'Heh, I was right. The Summers women are tough.'_ Straining my ears, I heard the faint sounds of battle. _'Damn, Dawn was right. Buffy's here already.'_ Sighing, I closed my eyes. _'If only I could help, though. Man, what'd I give to hit one of those scabby faced, beady-eyed twerps....'_

"Buffy! We're up here!" Dawn screamed as loud as she could and my ears rang from it. "Buffy!" _'Ow, ow, ow, and more ow.'_ I wanted to cover my ears, but I couldn't move. "Buffy! We're up here!" She was frantically looking down, probably watching something going on. "Buffy!" _'When the Slayer gets us down from here, I think I just might become her pet. I mean, geez, I'd owe her my life. Meh, not that it'd be a bad thing, I already fight along side her.'_ Glancing up at Dawn, I wanted to smile again. _'God, I'm so glad I came to Sunnydale.'_

"You." Dawn suddenly gasped as she looked behind me. "You can help us. Untie me and get that thing off Aud's face." Dawn was talking, and I could hardly sense the presence behind me. It seemed the thing in the smoke and then thing on my face dulled more than just my motor functions. "Please. Help us. Sh-she's coming."

"Well, it seems she's running....a bit late, is the thing." I heard footsteps growing nearer as a man talked. "And, uh, if her splendidness....can't be here in time to bleed you...." Dawn's face fell as she looked down at me. "Hey, kid. Wanna see a trick?" He whispered and Dawn gasped. "Oh, wait. Who's your friend?" Out the corner of my eye I saw an old man's face with black eyes. "Of course the great and powerful Glorificus would manage to find an Ustrina Augendae in this dimension." He chuckled while shaking his head. "I guess you'll be first."

"Well, what do you know. It's just about that time." I heard him say after a few minutes

"Spike!" Dawn cried as someone else walked closer. _'Dammit! I wanna see the fight!'_

"Doesn't a fella stay dead when you kill him?" I heard the vampire ask.

"Look who's talking."

"Come on, Doc. Let's you and me have a go."

"I....do have a prior appointment."

"This won't take long." Spike said.

"No. I-I don't imagine it will." I heard quick footsteps, then Spike shouting in pain as Dawn gasped. _'Oh, Hell-what's going on?!'_ There was a clank of metal on metal and I saw the little Summers beginning to cry.

"You don't come near the girls, Doc."

"I don't smell a soul anywhere on you. Why do you even care?" The old man questioned.

"I made a promise to a lady."

"Oh?" Then, I heard a scuffle. _'Come on! I gotta move! I gotta protect Dawn!'_ "Well, I'll send the lady your regrets."

"No!" I heard Spike shout and from the sound, he was thrown off the tower.

"No!" Dawn screamed and my blood ran cold. I felt a hand grab me by my hair and yank me up. I wanted to fight back, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't.

"Now, let's get this ritual started. Shall we?" The old man smiled at me while tearing off the mask. "Where did I put my knife, oh! There it is." He drug me behind him as we walked over to the bloody blade and picked it up. "You know, I've never gotten to bleed out an Ustrina Augendae's heart before. I think one straight cut underneath the ribs to the ventricles should do the job."

"No...." I managed to say as he drug me back and held me over the hole in front of Dawn. Trying to move, I still couldn't even lift a finger. "Don't....look....Dawn-" The Summers girl was crying as I was cut off by the knife being forced through my skin and into my heart. "I'm....so sorry....Dawn."

The old man dropped me off the tower as blood came rushing out from the cut like a red river freed from a broken dam. Suddenly, a few yards below Dawn and the man, I stopped falling. My arms lifted up and I saw the star filled sky fading as the sun was rising. An unknown force seemed to hold my body in a crucified position below the hole in the tower's catwalk.

Dawn was crying as she was cut, her blood dripping down. The first drop hit right above my heart and my body felt like it had been lit on fire. Screaming and writhing in pain as my heart quickly pumped out my blood, I could only watch as more of Dawn's blood dripped down. The next of her crimson drops began to glow and collect above my chest as my blood was drawn up to it like dark, red snakes coiling around prey.

I could feel my blood wrapping around me like a python, pulsing as Dawn's blood seemingly brought it to life. The glowing grew brighter and brighter, growing as my blood was charmed to it. My body grew weak as I was blinded from the brightness of it all. _'It's so beautiful....'_ I thought absent-mindedly. _'So....bright....and warm....'_ Hearing my heart beat growing weaker, I prayed to a higher power that this portal between worlds would be slammed shut. I knew what would happen if it didn't, but I hadn't the slightest on how it could be closed.

_'Buffy?'_ Narrowing my eyes, I could have sworn I saw the Slayer with my blurry vision. _'Buffy!'_ The blonde woman came crashing into me. Her arms wrapped around me and we fell.

"Buf....fy."

"It's okay, Aud. I got you." She whispered into my ear as my heavy eyelids closed. I felt a hand wrap around mine just before the dark completely took me into it's hold.


	44. This lovin's all for you

Gasping for air, I found it hard to breathe as I was coughing and my vision was blurry while I had no clue where I was. Looking around, I saw walls all around me that were too close for me to breathe. Screaming, I found my voice was hoarse and my throat felt sore. Banging on the walls, they sounded like thick wood. _'I can break this.'_ I thought while feeling my heartbeat quicken with panic.

Punching as hard as I could, my fist went through the wall and when I pulled back dirt began to seep in. I was coughing while trying to stop the dirt, but it just kept slipping through my fingers. That was when I realized I was laying down. Making the hole bigger, I clawed my way through the soil.

Taking in a deep breath, I filled my lungs with fresh oxygen while digging my claws into the grass and pulling the rest of my body out of the ground. Panting, I just laid there for a second, catching my breath as my muscles ached- it felt as if I had just experienced the worst work-out ever.

Climbing to my feet, I glanced around, seeing that I was standing in the graveyard near the forest. Looking behind me, I froze as my blood went cold. I was already confused as it was and what I saw wasn't helping. It was a gravestone with my name on it along with the year I was born....and the year I died. Beneath that read _'Beloved daughter, Devoted friend'_ followed by _'She helped save the world for food'._

Nearly jumping out of my skin, I felt a small hand slip into mine. Looking over, I saw Buffy, her hair a mess as she was covered in dirt. Glancing back, I saw her gravestone right next to mine. _'What is going on?'_ I thought while holding Buffy's hand.

Walking out of the cemetery, we found ourselves in the streets. Cars were on fire and shops were being broken into or were already stolen from. Chaos and its debris filled the streets and I had to squint due to the bright fires and my still blurry vision.

Squeezing Buffy's hand, I ran with her in tow after a demon on a motorcycle raced past and threw a glass bottle at us. I could hear siren's in the distance and when I knew we were far away from the motorcycle riding demon, I leaned my back against a car parked in a driveway. Buffy did too, and its alarms began to blare. We let go of each other's hands while covering out ears from the noise, then our eyes as well when a porch light turned on.

"What are you doing?" A man shouted. "Get away from there." He pointed a gun at us. "You hear me? I said get off my property!" He then aimed at the sky. "Leave us alone. Get out of here!" And he fired a warning shot as I grabbed Buffy's hand and led her away.

Wondering through the streets, I didn't know where to go. All I knew was that I needed to find a familiar face. I was scared, confused, and Buffy was the only thing I had and I hung on to her. Walking past more burning cars and places with broken windows, I tried to find something recognizable.

I saw a bonfire and blurry, human-like figures. Maybe I could find help there. Heading towards them, I furrowed my brows the closer we got. They didn't look right. Some of them didn't have noses and their skin was stretched back tightly while some had horns, fangs, and various other parts, and I realized too late that they were demons. Just as I was about to take Buffy away again, I stopped. ....I saw another Buffy being chained to multiple motorcycles.

"Gentlemen, start your engines." A demon shouted while raising a hand gun. "Bye-bye, Slayer." There was a shot and Buffy screamed.

"No!" She saw the other her get torn to pieces as her limbs were ripped off by the bikes all driving in different directions. Holding her, I covered her eyes. _'No....'_ I thought as the demons turned to us.

"Another one for the fire, boys. And she's got a friend." Looking around, I knew we had to run. "Tear it up." Dragging Buffy away, I tried to escape, but a motorcycle stopped in our way. Buffy pulled me to the side as we ran in another direction. A second bike was heading towards us and I yanked Buffy to the ground, making the two bikes crash into each other. Scrambling to our feet, we ran away into a series of alleyways. Running from the demons on the bikes, Buffy and I had to jump over fences and dumpsters.

Landing on the ground in the crouching position, I heard voices and I looked up. Slowly standing, Buffy grabbed my hand again. I furrowed my brows- their faces were familiar, but I couldn't recall how.

"It's-It's the Buffy-bot and Aud-bot."

"Ah, peachy, no doubt to lead the wild bunch right to us again. Hey, Wil, next time these things get damaged, couldn't you program 'em to find the nearest Radio Shack or-" The man cut off as he looked at the red-haired woman. _'Wil....Willow?'_

"Buffy? Aud?" She furrowed her brows. Buffy bolted and I followed after since she still had a hold of my hand. Memories began to flood back into my head as I recalled their faces. I could hear them shouting and giving chase, and Buffy led the way into another alley.

Cowering against a wall, I could hear Buffy's frightened heartbeat as well as my own. The confusion and the unclear vision added with my muddled memories was making me feel terrified. Holding onto Buffy, I put my forehead to hers. That seemed to help calm her as she clung to me like a frightened child.

"It's Willow. Can you hear me?" Looking around, I squinted at all of the lights and I still couldn't figure out where we were. Yes, there were people who strongly resembled the guys in every way, but they could just be some sort of trick- a conjured up likenesses in this Hellish dimension.

"What's wrong with them?"

"Nothing. They're-they're-they're in shock."

"Buffy's hands are bleeding. Her fingers."

"And they're both filthy."

"Oh, no."

"What?"

"No. How could we- So _stupid_!"

"Xander!"

"Our spell. Our resurrection spell worked like a magic charm. We brought you guys back to life. Right were we left them."

"Oh, God."

"In their coffins."

"They had to....dig out of their own graves." Staring at the people, I tried my best to clear my vision by blinking.

"Buffy? Aud? Buffy, Aud, it's Xander." The man bent over while they were all looking at us. "We're sorry. We didn't know." He shook his head and Buffy turned away, burying her face into my neck. Placing a hand on the back of her head, I held onto her. _'What in the world is going on?'_ "Guys."

"You aren't reaching them. They're too traumatized."

"Hey, guys." A blonde woman knelt close to us. I felt my teeth sharpen, ready to fight if I had to. She was close, and we literally had our backs against the wall. The only way out was through them. "Here's some good news that might perk you two right up. Xander and I have an announcement."

"Anya!" The man pulled her back.

"What? I-I'm just trying to help."

"Guys, it's gonna be all right." The man looked at us and Buffy peeked at him. "We brought you back. You two, you're home now." Looking back at him, I felt Buffy lean back a bit. "Yeah, that's it. You're home."

"Yeah. Welcome home, Slayer." My vision began to clear up after glancing from the man to the group of demons. "Alive and kickin' after all." The head demon looked at the guys. "Well, alive, anyway. Not lookin' too good, though, is she?"

"I don't see you winning too many beauty contests, unless the Miss _'My Face Fell Off'_ Pageant gets goin'."

"Big axe you got there."

"The better to cut you down to size, _grandma_." Xander took a step towards the demon. When the demon took a step forward, a burst of fire shot up, making him step back.

"So you got a witch in the mix."

"More than one."

"I happen to be a very powerful man-witch myself." The demon tilted his head at Xander. "Or male- Is it a warlock? Warlock."

"Plus, we have a Slayer here, um, and a half-demon, who might actually be looking to eat some brains, so I think a little quiet moseying, no hard feelings, and I'm sure your demon horde won't think any less of you." Anya said.

"Now, my boys- See, that's tricky. They came looking for a massacre, and I think you got exactly enough magic between you for a kiddie birthday party."

"Then you'd be wrong." Willow said while stepping up.

"Whoa. Well, I better back off or you might, what, pull a rabbit out of a hat?"

"D-don't do that. Why would she do that?" Anya asked.

"Look. We don't want trouble. You don't want trouble."

"Of course we want trouble. We're demons." He took a step towards Willow. "We're really all about trouble."

"Not this kind."

"Oh. I get your point." He nodded. Backhanding the redhead, she flew back. I could feel my heart begin to race as the human male was then tossed. "Now let me tell you something, children. We're not gonna fight you. We're just gonna hold you down and enjoy ourselves for a few hours." I rose to my feet and Buffy followed suit. "You might even live through it, except that certain of my boys got some anatomical incompatibilities that, uh, tend to tear up little girls." Walking out from behind the pile of garbage, I followed Buffy. "So, who wants to go first?" The demon looked down at the Slayer and grinned. "I was really hoping it'd be you." He hit Buffy, causing her head to whip to the side.

When she slowly turned back to look at the demon, I growled when I saw blood. Snarling at the demon, I leapt at his throat. Digging my claws into his shoulders as he went down, my nails pierced his leather jacket and sunk into his skin. I felt my tail grow out as the demon screamed in pain and I sank my fangs into the artery pulsing in his neck. Locking my jaw in place, I didn't let go until the demon's heart stopped completely, ignoring the weakening punches to my sides.

Sitting back, there was a silent pause as blood dripped down my chin. There was a growl deep in my chest as my tail began to sway and I wiped the blood from my face with my knuckles.

"Does this mean we win?" Anya asked. The other demons then attacked, raising their pipe and weapons and Buffy and I went into battle. I followed my instincts, I was attacking like a feral animal while biting and pulling off heads. Using my claws like sharp blades, I'd cut through throats and other body parts as the demons came at me.

"Well, they wanted a massacre." Tara said once the demons were all dead.

"She's Buffy. She's herself again." Xander looked at the Slayer. "You're back, Buffy. You really are."

"But....Aud...."

"Whoa. Whoa." Xander raised a hand after he stepped closer and I began to snarl. When he stepped back, I turned to Buffy. Using my sleeve to wipe the blood from her mouth, she looked like she was about to cry. She grabbed my wrist, giving me a frightful look. I nodded, understanding what she wanted to tell me. Taking her hand in mine, I ran past the humans with Buffy.

"Buffy! Aud!" We kept running, only we didn't get far before we stopped again. Hearing the sounds of running, we turned back just as a demon was swinging a pipe. Buffy grabbed the pipe while I grabbed the demon, tossing the demon around and impaling him onto a broken pole. Making sure he'd stay, I felt Buffy grab my hand and we were back to running.

Looking up at the familiar tower, Buffy pulled me up the stairs to the top. Why did this seem so familiar? _'This place....'_ Standing next to Buffy as we looked down from the catwalk, I felt the odd since of deja vu. Furrowing my brows, Buffy squeezed my hand and I remembered why it was all so....familiar.

"Dawnie, I have to." Buffy mumbled. Glancing over, I saw her eyes were closed as she had her eyebrows furrowed.

"Buffy? Aud?" Hearing a girl's voice, we slowly turned around. "Buffy, Aud." It was Dawn. "How?" She began to cry. "Is it really you guys? I mean, really? What are you-" She was cut off as the metal creaked and the tower shifted. "No!" Dawn shouted and I looked over to see Buffy turning back around. "Don't! Don't jump, Buffy. Aud, stop her! Just walk to me." She began to walk carefully towards us. "Please!"

"I'm your sister...." Dawn said as I faced Buffy. "Dawn. We were up here together, and then....you both went away. And you don't want to do that again." She was talking, and Buffy closed her eyes. "I don't know how you two are back, but you are, and, please, just stay still." She screamed as the tower shifted again. "Or-or move, but-but towards me, because the tower was built by crazy people, and I don't think it's holding up very well. Talk to me." Dawn demanded. "Say something."

"Is this Hell?" Buffy asked.

"What?"

"Is this Hell?" The Slayer turned to face her sister.

"No! Buffy, no!" The girl shook her head. "You're here....both of you....with me. Whatever happened to you, whatever you've been through, it's-it's over now." I looked at Dawn. "You're-" She was cut off by her own scream as the tower swayed. "We have to get off of this tower!"

"It was so clear...." Buffy looked to the ground and Dawn began to carefully step towards us. "on this spot. I remember how....shiny....and clear everything was." Buffy shook her head. "But...now....now...."

"Buffy, Aud, please listen to me. You told me I had to be strong. And I've tried. But it's been so hard without you both. I'm sorry." My tail swayed as I heard her words. "I promise I'll do better. I will....if you're with me. Stay with me....please! I need you both to live. Live for-Ahh!" The tower began to fall apart, pieces coming off and raining to the ground. "Buffy!" Dawn screamed.

"Dawn."

"Buffy!"

"Dawn!" I watched as the blonde woman ran to her sister. My tail twitched as she scooped her up and went to the stairs. "Aud! Come on!" She called. Following her command, I went to them. Buffy held onto her sister as they jumped out to a rope. The pulley on the rope gave way, and I dove for them as they began to fall. Holding them close to me, I used my tail to turn in the air to where it'd me who hit the ground instead of them.

Landing, Buffy pulled Dawn and I out of the way as metal beams and various other scraps began to come tumbling down. Escaping the tower's collapse, we stopped just outside the fence.

"Buffy....Aud...." Dawn looked at us as we turned to her. "Guys. You're-you're....you're really here." She smiled while touching our cheeks. Dawn pulled us into a hug and was still crying. "You're alive, and you're home. You're both home."


	45. Who is the fly in your chapagne

"Home. See?" Dawn asked as we stood outside of a two story house. "You guys are back home. We're all okay now." Looking at the building, I remembered it....I stayed in the guest bedroom, I even cooked and cleaned for the Summers girls here.

Entering the house, Buffy and I just kinda looked around and wandered as Dawn closed the door. Turning on the lights in the living room, I flinched while Buffy said ow.

"It's different." She stated as I let my eyes adjust to the light and looked.

"A little. Willow and Tara live here now, and, um, we....we-we didn't do much. We moved some of the chairs an-and took out some of the little tables, but-" Dawn stopped explaining as Buffy walked away. Following her, my tail twitched. "This is the same. Except the computer stuff." Dawn said while turning on the dining room light. "That's Willow's, obviously."

Buffy went up the stairs and I followed suit. The scents had changed in the house- It still had that comforting smell and feel to it, but there was other stuff mixed in now. Dawn came up a few seconds later and suggested we get cleaned up. Looking down, I saw the dirt and dried blood caked onto my clothes.

"There you are. I knew you were under that dirt somewhere." The little Summers girl said while wiping a towel on Buffy's face. We were standing in the bathroom, and I was pulling on a clean shirt while Dawn was busy with Buffy. "You remember what Mom used to say? _'Either wash that neck or plant potatoes.'_ " There was a quiet pause. "Yeah, I never thought it was funny either." Pulling on a pair of pants, I put away my claws so I could zip and button them up. "You want to button that or, um- Oh. Ow." She then saw Buffy's hands. "Um, we'll take care of that after."

"Okay."

"Here, I'll do the shirt, and then we'll do your hands. See how nice you look?" Dawn asked as Buffy walked out of the bathroom. My tail swayed as I shook the dirt from my fur. Dawn followed her big sister and I went to the sink. Turning on the faucet, I cupped my hands under the running water. Bringing my hands to my lips, I washed the taste of demon blood from my mouth.

My ears twitched when I heard the front door open and heavy footsteps followed. Growling, I ran to the stairs.

"Dawn! Dawn, are you there?" I froze at the top of the steps. _'That voice....'_

"I'm here." She called while walking past me.

"Thank God. You scared me half to death. Or more to death. You- I could kill you." I followed Dawn down the stairs, looking over her shoulder at the familiar face.

"Spike...."

"I mean it. I could rip your head off one-handed and drink from your brain stem." He made a hand gesture. His hair was a little curly and not slicked back like it usually was. ....I mean, how I remembered it.

"Look." Dawn grabbed my hand.

"Yeah? I've seen the bloody bot before. Don't tell me she broke something aga-" The vampire stopped mid-sentence as he looked at me.

"She's kind of, um.... She's been through a lot....with the....death." I looked back as Buffy came down the steps and stood behind me. "But I think she's okay." Dawn glanced at me. Looking down, I wiggled my toes in my socks because I didn't want to see the look Spike was making anymore. "Spike, are you okay?"

"I'm...." His voice was quiet. "What did you do?"

"Me? Nothing."

"Her hands." Spike furrowed his brows as he gestured to Buffy with his head. Covering them with my own, Buffy and I averted our eyes.

"Um, I-I was gonna fix 'em. I don't know how they got like that."

"I do. Clawed their way out of a coffin, that's how. Isn't that right?" He looked from Dawn to us.

"Yeah." Buffy answered. "That's what we had to do."

"I've done it myself." Glancing at him, he shook his head. "Um, we'll take care of you." Spike held a hand out to Buffy. "Come here." She went down the stairs and I tailed her. "Get some stuff. Um, _Mercurochrome_ , bandages."

"Okay." Dawn said as I silently followed the short blonde. Sitting next to her on the couch, I set my cheek on her shoulder while looking at her hands. Her knuckles were bloody, worn, and bone even showed on a few.

"How long were we gone?" Buffy asked as Spike grabbed her hands to take a look.

"147 days, yesterday." He looked at both of us. "Uh, 148 today. Except today doesn't count, does it?" He smirked. "How long was it for you two, where you were?" Buffy looked down at me, then to Spike.

"Longer." She answered as I was sitting up, and I got an idea. Putting my wrist to my mouth, I dug my fangs into my skin.

"Hey, what are you doin'?" Licking the blood off of my lips, I held my wrist over Buffy's hands. Yeah, Glory had said it healed only demons and gods, but Buffy wasn't a normal human. It just might work on her.

"Aud, what are you doing?" Buffy pulled her hands back as my blood stopped dripping due to the bite healing. Licking my wrist, I watched her hands. "Oh, my God...." She mumbled while watching her wounds close.

"Where'd you pick that up at?" Dawn asked while standing there with the medical supplies.

"Are they here?" Willow came rushing through the door.

"They're here." Anya added and everyone came flooding into the room.

"We didn't know where you two were."

"You ran away."

"Buffy! Aud! Are you okay?!" Willow asked as Buffy rose to her feet.

"You knew they were back?" Dawn questioned as Spike rolled his eyes and walked away. "How did you know?"

"You're not a zombie, are you?" Anya asked as Buffy sat back down. "I'm pretty sure Aud is, though."

"Anya!"

"Are you in pain?"

"What do you two know about what happened?"

"Hey, back off. You did this." Dawn furrowed her brows. "What did you do?"

"A spell. We-we did a spell." Willow said. "We didn't think it worked, but-"

"Are they going to be okay?"

"I'm okay." Buffy smiled. "We're okay." She looked to the guys while nodding. "We're gonna be fine. I-I remember. You brought us back."

"What was it like?"

"I-I can't-"

"It's okay. You don't have to talk about this, Buff."

"Wait, but what about Aud?" Dawn asked. "I just saw her heal Buffy's hands with her blood."

"What?" Willow furrowed her brows. "Really?"

"Yeah....and she hasn't said a word...."

"Um, Aud, how are you feeling?" Tara asked. She was answered by my stomach growling.

"Hey, do you want something? Anything. Pizza! I'll get you a pizza." Xander waved a hand.

"They like pizza." Anya smiled. "Give her pizza so she stays away from our throats."

"Anya."

"Yeah, something to eat?"

"Guys....back off." Dawn said.

"Right. Uh, Dawn's right. We-we should just be quiet and let Aud and Buffy tell us what they need." They all looked at us and I looked to Buffy. She gave me a short nod before glancing at the guys.

"Aud will take the food offer. I-I think I just want to go to sleep." She then stood up while putting her hands into her pockets.

"That's a good idea. You-you should sleep." Tara nodded.

"Right. Long day. But, guys, be happy. We got you both out. We really did it." Willow smiled.

"Tired." Buffy nodded.

"Well, yeah. I mean, jet lag from Hell has gotta be, you know, jet lag from Hell." Anya stated.

"My room is still...." Buffy trailed off while looking to Dawn.

"Yeah. Yes, it's your room." Buffy then went to her bed while the guys looked back at me. My tail was curling and uncurling as I looked back, feeling hungry and ready for someone to order pizza.

"I'll, uh, see what place delivers this late." Xander pointed over his shoulder before walking away.

"So, Aud, how, uh, how are you feeling?" Willow asked me. "B-besides hungry."

"Yeah, you did sort of go all crazy on those demons. You know, with the biting and the beating to bloody pulps." Anya glanced around at everyone. I just looked at her and she made a weird expression. "Is it just me or does it seems like her eyes are speaking?"

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"I mean, with her looking at me like that it's like I know what's she's thinking."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh, and it's starting to creep me out. Quit it." Looking away, I smiled.

"Ooh, do it to me." Dawn sat on the coffee table and I stared into her eyes. "Whoa....it's like a dog when it's begging for food. You just kinda....know."

"Wait, didn't you say something earlier about her _'healing'_ Buffy with her _'blood'_?"

"Oh, yeah. She just let her blood hit Buffy's hands and, poof! They're healed."

"Aud, is that a side-effect of the spell, or-or could you do that before?" Willow asked. Looking at her, I didn't have to even talk. Good, my throat still felt scratchy and dry. "Whoa...."

Everybody left before the pizza arrived because Dawn told them to hold off on all the questions. When it did get here, I sat down with it on the couch along with the little Summers girl and the witches and silently ate as we watched TV. After I had eaten, I went off to bed.

Instead of sleeping right away though, I just sort of stood in the middle of my room while looking around. _'My room....'_ I thought as I smelled my own faded scent. _'My bed.....my clothes.....my_ _weapons....'_ Running my hands through my hair, I sighed and sat on my bed. _'I'm alive.'_ That was when I laid down and went to sleep.

~

"We killing something?" Buffy said as I stood next to her in the back yard. The guys sort of all jumped and turned to look.

"Buffy! Aud! You're not supposed to be up." Willow stated as Buffy shifted on her feet.

"H-How are you two feeling? Are you okay?" Tara asked.

"So, what are we killing?"

"Demons you both brought back from Hell with you."

"Oh."

"It's not like she's making it sound. A little haunting-type stuff. Boo-scary. Everything's normal." Willow smiled.

"You-you shouldn't worry about it." Tara added.

"Um, I remembered something." Buffy glanced down at the mug in her hands before getting this thinking look. "Last night, uh...." And she sort of spaced out.

"Buff?" Xander called.

"Uh, the-the photographs....o-of us. They changed."

"How did they change?" Tara asked.

"They were dead. I-I mean, we were dead, like, um, dead bodies. But-but then they were okay, so I just, you know, figured it was me. I-I was going crazy." Buffy looked at them all.

"Well, maybe you are going crazy, from Hell." Anya suggested before she saw the looks she was given. "No, you're fine."

"You are, and, both of you, we're-we're so glad." Willow nodded.

"Yeah, this thing, this haunting thing- We'll fix it, and then we'll still have you two back, which is....it's so important."

"Yes." The redhead agreed.

"It's wonderful."

"We should get to work." Buffy stated.

~

"What's the list?" Dawn asked as the guys were gathered around the table with books.

"Possible hitchhikers." Anya said.

"Demons that might've come out of Hell the same time Buffy and Aud did."

" _'Skagmore demons, Trellbane demons, Skitterers, large and small bone eaters.'_ " Dawn read off of the list. "If we get to pick, I say we go with the small bone-eaters."

"Well, that just means they prefer to eat things with small bones, like you." Anya looked at her.

"That's just what we have so far-five species of demons that have been known to move trans-dimensionally." Willow looked at the books and list as I stood in the middle of the Magic Box. I felt like I was missing something, but I couldn't remember no matter how hard I tried to think about it. "Two of them may be invisible in this dimension, and two others can perform spells to alter perception."

"Well, that's four." Anya stated as I looked down at myself. "What's the other one like?" She asked and I remembered what I was missing.

"Uh, like the others, only dripping with viscous fluid." Tara answered as I walked up to Anya.

"Ew." Dawn shook her head.

"So, should we concentrate on how to kill those, or should we try to find more?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe-" Willow cut off when she saw me standing next to Anya and looking down at her. "Aud, do you need something?" She asked.

"I know she's there and I'm trying to ignore it because I'm hoping she'd go away. You know, like an animal, and I'm hoping she doesn't bite me." Anya spoke pretty fast while staring at Willow dead on. I couldn't help but chuckle and I sat next to her. When the ex-demon looked at me, I touched my hand to my chest. "What?" I tapped my hand while drawing a rectangle with my finger on my chest. "Oh! Yes. Of course." Anya nodded while getting up.

Following her, she went behind the counter. Opening up the cash register, she awkwardly smiled.

"I wanted to keep it in a safe place. An-and I know the money's safe, so...." She trailed off handing over what I had asked for. "Here." Taking the name tag, I clipped it onto my shirt and she went back to the table. There was a quiet pause before they continued on with the demon research. I went and stood behind Buffy.

"Maybe some of us can keep going, finding more, and others-"

"We miss Giles." Buffy said.

"Oh, he's coming back. I-I talked to him." Willow waved her hand around. "I know I'm a kind of poor substitute, but until then, we'll get it done." Buffy looked around and each and every one of them as they were looking at us.

"I think I should patrol." She set her book down while rising to her feet. "You wanna come, Aud?" Buffy asked and I nodded.

"Well, I know we'll find something soon." Willow furrowed her brows.

"Yeah." Buffy nodded and I followed her.

"Do you want us to go with you as well?"

"We can do that." Anya nodded.

"No, I-I need to go. Sorry." She then looked at me. "We can take care of it." And she walked away.

"You should go. I-I'll be safe here with the others." Dawn said as we went to the door. "Don't worry about me."


	46. Whose got the body and whose got the brain

In the cemetery, Buffy looked at me as she shifted on her feet while putting her hands into her pockets.

"You wanna split up, cover more ground?" She asked and I shrugged. "Okay....you take that way, I'll go this way." She pointed out directions before walking off. Sighing, I scratched my arm while looking around. Going off in the way Buffy had pointed out for me, I looked out for demons. After a while, though, I kind of got lost in my head and I found myself standing outside of a familiar crypt. Walking inside felt like such a natural action, and I just looked around. It looked very different on the inside than I remembered....

"Aud." Turning around, I glanced at the messy haired Spike. "You should be careful. You never know what kind of villain's got a knife at your back." I saw the machete in his hand and stuffed my hands into my back pockets.

"Your hand is hurt...." I mumbled, my voice still a bit raw.

"Hmm." He looked down at it. "I'd say the same to you, but you heal pretty quickly."

"Yeah." Looking down at the ground, I shifted on my feet. There was a silent pause before he walked to the other side of the crypt and set down the blade.

"Willow's gettin' pretty strong, isn't she?" The vampire looked back at me. "Bringin' both you and Buffy back. It's hard to get a good night's death around her." He smirked while trying to crack a joke. "You can sit down. I got furniture." He pointed and I sat down. "You should see the downstairs too. It's quite posh." Looking at him, he walked over and sighed as he sat down across from me. "Uh, I do remember what I said. The promise....to protect them. If I'd have done that, even if I didn't make it.... Buffy wouldn't have had to jump and you wouldn't have gotten-" He cut himself off while shaking his head.

"But I want you to know I did save you. Not when it counted, of course, but after that." He swallowed. "Every night after that." Spike looked up at me. "I'd see it all again. I do somethin' different. Faster, more clever, you know? Dozens of times, lots of different ways. Every night, I save you." Looking at my hands, I didn't really know what to say. Standing up, I walked over to him and grabbed his hand. "What are you-" He cut himself off as I cut my palm with my fangs. Putting my bleeding hand over his knuckles, I looked him in the eye.

"You took care of Dawn when you could, and even if you couldn't save Buffy, you made sure that Dawn was safe. And that," I paused while giving a soft smile. "is what I thank you for." Letting go of his hand, I stepped back as my ear twitched. "I gotta go now, Buffy's calling." Spike didn't say anything, but I felt his eyes linger on me as I left.

~

After a little walking around with Buffy, we decided to just head home. The Slayer led the way into the house and up the stairs. She said she wanted to go to bed and that she was tired, so she went to her room, leaving me standing in the hallway for a few seconds alone. I decided to go to my own room, but as soon as I stepped in, I heard a faint whisper.

"You don't belong here." Turning, I saw a ghostly figure coming at me. I instinctively threw a fist, but my hand went right through. However, when the thing struck back, it was a solid hit and I flew back into my dresser. Snarling as I got back to my feet, I looked for the white wisp until it appeared, circling around me. Every time I tried to fight back, my attack would just pass right through while it was able to land solid hits. I could hear shuffling and thuds as it sounded like Buffy was fighting as well.

"Did they tell you you belonged here?" I pushed myself off the floor as my tail began to sway. "Did they say this was your home again? Where you offered pretty lies, little beast?" Growling, I watched the smoke-like being float around. "Or did they even give you a choice?" Suddenly, the thing had it's arms around me from behind and was squeezing. Then, it began to feel more solid and I pulled myself from its grip.

Turning on it, I lept, but was tossed to the side. I roared with frustration at the ghostly being, but when I looked again, it was completely solid and had physical form. My tail swayed as I crouched like an animal hunting, I was waiting for the right moment to strike. I needed an opening to attack. _'There!'_ I thought while leaping at the thing. It gave a scream as my fangs dug into its shoulder. With a thud, it hit the ground and I wrapped a hand around its neck. Squeezing, I heard the bones in the thing's neck cracking as it bent in a strange direction.

~

"Dawn!" Buffy called as we went out the front door.

"What's wrong?" The little Summers girl turned around, a worried look on her face.

"You forgot your lunch." I said while holding up the brown paper bag.

"You made me lunch?" She smiled. "Wow. Thanks." Dawn took the bag. "It's not PB&J is it? The Aud-bot sort of kept making those all time." She asked awkwardly.

"No, it's not PB&J." I smiled. "I made something I remembered reading in a....a French cook book."

"You better go." Buffy added as she stood next to me. "You've been out of school since....we got back."

"And you know what they say- _'Those of us who fail history-'_ " I began.

" _'Doomed to repeat it in summer school.'_ " Buffy finished.

"Thank you guys." Dawn grabbed us in a hug. "You two okay?" She asked while standing back.

"I'm going to start charging money for every person that asks me that." Buffy smiled.

"Everyone's been doing that, huh?"

"A little bit." I gave a half shrug.

"It's because they care about you both a lot. When you guys were gone.... It was bad when you guys were gone. But it'll be better now, now that they can see you two being happy." We looked at Dawn. "It's all they want." She said before going off to school.

~

"Buffy, Aud, hey." Willow smiled as we walked into the magic shop.

"You get Dawn off school all right? 'Cause I was thinking if you guys need help pickin' her up, I-"

"It's okay. We got it." Buffy smiled. "Look, you guys, um, there's this thing. So I'm just gonna say it." Everyone looked at Buffy. "You brought us back. We were in a-" She paused. "We were in Hell. We, um, we can't think too much about what it was like, but it felt like the world abandoned me there. And suddenly, you guys did what you did."

"It was Willow. She knew what to do." Tara smiled.

"Okay, so you did that. And the world came rushing back."

"Thank you." We said at the same time.

"You guys gave us the world. We can't tell you what it means to us." Buffy looked at them. "And we should've said it before."

"You're welcome." Willow smiled before giving us a hug.

"Welcome home, guys." Xander came over. After they stopped hugging, I slipped my name tag on and smiled at everyone.

"It's good to be back." They smiled back and I walked to the training room. Using the back door in there, I slipped into the back alley, needing some air.

"Aud." Looking up after I closed the door behind me, I saw Spike and furrowed my brows with confusion.

"Spike, it's daylight, and you're-"

"Not on fire?" He looked up towards the sky. "The sun's low enough. It's shady enough here." The vampire then turned to me as I put my hands into my back pockets. "I was gonna go inside, but I overheard you and the Super Friends exchanging a special moment, and I came over a bit queasy." I stood in the shade and nudged a pebble with my foot. "Say, aren't you leaving a hole in the middle of some soggy group hug?" He asked while putting out his cigarette.

"Just wanted a little fresh air and alone time. Plus, Buffy's taking up the slack." I smirked while walking over and sitting down on the stack of wooden crates.

"Oh. Uh, right, then." Spike rose to his feet and walked to the edge of the shade before stopping. He looked up at the sky and I smiled a little.

"It's okay. I can be alone with you here."

"Thanks ever so." He sighed before looking back.

"Yeah." Looking down, I put my hands together in my lap.

"Aud?" There was a pause. "Short stack....are you okay?" The bleached blonde turned to fully face me.

"I'm here. I'm good." I nodded. He then walked towards me.

"Aud, if you're in....if you're in pain, or if you need anything, or if I can do anything for you...."

"You can't." I gave a sad smile while staring down at my hands.

"Well, I haven't been to a Hell dimension just of late, but I do know a thing or two about torment." He put his hands into his coat pockets before sitting down next to me.

"I wasn't tormented. I was happy." Looking up, he was quiet while looking down at me. "Wherever I was, I was happy. At peace. I knew that everyone I cared about was all right. I just knew it." Shaking my head, I furrowed my brows. "Time didn't mean anything. Nothing had form. But I was still me, you know?" I looked at him while asking.

"And I was warm. And I was loved. And I was finished. Complete. I-I don't understand....much about theology or-or dimensions, but I think I was in Heaven. And I think Buffy was with me-she says we were in Hell, but...." I furrowed my brows again. "I know she was lying. And now we're not. We were torn out of there. Pulled out....by our friends. Everything here is hard....and bright....and smells of death." I paused.

"Everything I feel, everything I touch- This is Hell. Just getting through the next moment...." I shook my head. "and the one after that, knowing what Buffy and I have lost...." Trailing off, I glanced up and saw the face Spike was making. Clearing my throat as I stood up, I began to walk away. "They can never know." I said over my shoulder. "Never. Buffy lied for a reason." And then I left.


	47. I'll take your blood and I'll kill my pain

"So, we meet at last, Mr. Drippy." I heard Buffy say.

"Oh, you found it?" I called from the other side of the basement.

"Yeah, it's over here." Walking to her, I saw the leaking pipe.

"Is it the coupling or will we need the putty?" I asked while raising the container.

"Coupling." She said while putting the wrench to the pipe.

"Want me to call a plumber?" Dawn asked while sitting on the basement stairs.

"No." Buffy began to tighten the coupling.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Got the number."

"Dawn, we're on it, okay?" Buffy looked back at her sister. "Ah." She smiled as the drip stopped. Not but a second later, Dawn was screaming as the pipes groaned and water was bursting from all the pipes in the basement besides the one Buffy had just tightened. "There. All better." Buffy sighed.

"Yeah....we're gonna need a lot of pipe putty and duct tape." I popped off as water hit my shoes.

~

"Man, how much water can they fit in one set of pipes?" Dawn asked while looking down the basement stairs.

"If I understand right, the entire city water supply." Tara said as she came in through the back door. Willow was pouring herself cereal while Buffy was watching water pour from the kitchen sink.

"It's like little clown cars in the circus." Willow added and I was stuffing my face with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Told you we should have called the plumber." Dawn popped off.

"You were right. The plumber will make everything good." There was a quiet pause.

"Dawnie, you're not eating breakfast." Tara stated.

"Dawn, breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Buffy and I said at the same time.

"It's unbelievably important." Buffy added. "You should eat breakfast at least three times a day." Willow got up and turned off the water.

"You didn't, you know, form a psychic link when Aud, uh, healed you, did you?"

"No." Buffy and I talked at the same time again.

"We just think alike at times."

"Pops said we were like _'bloody twins'_ once." I bit into my sandwich.

"I'll, um, grab something before school." Dawn nodded.

"And a big Sunnydale round of applause for _Tito the Amazing_ , plumber extraordinaire." Xander said while coming out of the basement with the plumber.

"How's everything looking down there?" Tara asked.

"Like we should start gathering up two of every animal." Xander put his hands onto his hips.

"Basically, your pipes are shot. I mean, the whole system's gonna have to be replaced." The plumber said and Willow went over to look at the yellow paper in his hands. "What you need's a full copper re-pipe job."

"Full copper re-pipe? That sounds potentially pricey."

"Well, if you have any questions, our number's on the invoice." The plumber left and Dawn looked over at the paper Willow was holding. The witch's face said it all.

"That's a weird phone number." Dawn put her hands on her hips. "Oh, wait. Is that the bill?" She asked.

"Hey, Tito cut you a good deal down there." Xander pointed. "Those are his bargain prices, and I did a little haggling for you."

"Thank you." Buffy smiled. "So we'll pay him. What's the big deal?" She asked while standing next to me and leaning on the island.

"Um, Buffy, I know you're still getting back on your feet after-"

"Lying flat on my back?"

"Yeah, uh, but there's some money stuff....we're gonna have to talk to you about." Willow sort of cringed and I looked at her and Buffy.

~

"Okay, so you're telling me I'm broke?" Buffy laughed while looking at all the bills and debt notices.

"Not yet, but-"

"Money's definitely becoming an issue." Tara finished for Willow.

"As in you're being almost out of it." Xander added.

"But I haven't spent _any_ money. I was all dead and frugal."

"I know this comes as a bit of a shock after....a bit of a shock, but i-it took us by surprise too." Willow furrowed her brows.

"Your mother prepared everything really well. She had insurance." Tara stated as I picked up some of the bills and took a look. "Life insurance."

"Which should have left you covered, but hospital bills-"

"Pretty much sucked up all the money."

"Which you're still hemorrhaging, by the way." Anya popped off.

"How am I doing that?"

"No, not you, the house." The ex-demon gestured to the papers in front of her as she held a pen. "Uh, see, this house, just sitting here, doing nothing, by itself costs money."

"So what do we do?" Dawn asked and I couldn't help but laugh. Covering my face, I dropped the bills I was holding onto the table. _'Wow....'_ I thought. _'Just, wow....'_

"What's so funny? This isn't funny." Anya looked confused.

"Why didn't you guys use my stash?" I looked at them.

"Stash....?" Xander asked while raising an eyebrow. Hurrying upstairs, I pulled the box from under my bed and rushed back to the living room.

"How do you think I was always buying food without having to ask anyone for money?" I set the cardboard box onto the table and opened it up. "It may not cover everything, but this should cover some of it." The guys all dropped their jaws while looking at all of the cash in my box.

"Where-where did you even get all that?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, you only worked for Giles-what, a few months?" Anya questioned. "He didn't pay _me_ that much."

"Well, only a small part's from working at the Magic Box. Pops only pays me minimum wage 'cause he knew I had this. He must have forgotten to tell you guys after I, you know, kicked it. Most of it is from winning bets and games with the old farts at the Watchers Council." Looking at each of them, I put my hands on my hips. "Those goats are loaded and with ears like mine it's not hard to tell when someone's lying. You know, with them having a heartbeat and all."

"So, how do we come up with money to cover the rest?" Buffy asked.

"I know how." Anya smiled. "Um, if-if you wanna pay e-every bill here, and every bill coming, and have enough to start a nice college fund for Dawn," She pointed. "start charging."

"For what?"

"Slaying vampires. You're providing a valuable service to the whole community. And since there is two of you who-who can do it, I say cash in." Anya gestured to Buffy and I. The guys got these looks and the ex-demon glanced at them.

"Well, that's an idea....you would have." Buffy nodded. "Any other suggestions?"

"Well, I mean, it's not _so_ crazy."

"Yes, it is!" Dawn told Anya. "You can't charge innocent people for saving their lives."

"Spider-Man does."

"He does not."

"Does too!"

"Does n- Xander?" There was a quiet pause as they looked at the human male.

"Action is his reward." He said without looking at either of them. Anya gave him a look and stood up while grabbing her purse.

"Why don't you ever take my side?" And she walked away.

"What are you talking about, taking your side? Anya, I am your side!" He chased after her.

"You're throwing away a gold mine." Willow shook her head while making a face.

"Hey," I raised my brows while pushing up my shoulders. "how about applying for a loan?"

~

"He still turned you down? That's crazy!" Willow said as Buffy and I were training in the dark room in the back of the Magic Box. "I mean, even if the bank did get robbed, which you battling demons couldn't possibly know, you would think there would be some kind of reward." Holding up my hands, Buffy punched the white dots on the training gloves over my palms. "But, no, they're like, _'Oh, we're_ _not gonna give you money unless you prove you don't need it.'_ I mean, what kind of system is that?"

"You're asking the wrong gal." Buffy said.

"Don't drop your shoulder." My tail swayed as I took Buffy's punches. "It tells me how you're going to strike."

"Okay, mini Giles." And she began to hit harder.

"Hey, Buffy!" Willow walked over. "You're mad."

"You noticed? I-It'll pass." She paused before trying a different set of punches.

"No! Anger i-is a big, powerful emotion you-you should feel." Willow waved her hands as I watched Buffy's form, making sure she didn't give away obvious signs of how she was going to hit next.

"Well, that's good then." She paused. "It's gone now."

"Okay, let me make you mad again. Uh, ready?" Willow asked and Buffy looked at her. "Um...."She hit her wrists together. "Last semester, I slept with Riley."

"And you know, I really doubt it."

"Caught me. Big fib. To cover up the sleazy affair I had with Angel." The witch smiled.

"Wil, what the Hell are you doing?"

"Pissing you off."

"Yes. True. Why?"

"Well, 'cause, you know, since you two have been back, you haven't exactly been big with the whole range of human emotions thing."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"W-well, you both haven't- No, I mean, it's just, um-" She was moving her hands as she talked. "You know, this is really my problem." Willow began to step back. "Eh, um, I'm just all over the place, and you should just, uh, forget I-forget I even said anything 'cause-'cause-well, 'cause, you know, banks, man." She shook her head while sitting back down. Buffy and I gave her a look, exchanged glances, then went back to training.

~

"This your guy?" Dawn asked while holding open a book with a demon on it.

"You do research now?" Buffy asked as we were walking out of the training room. "Want a cappuccino and a pack of cigarettes to go with it?" Buffy crossed her arms.

"Would you just look at the picture?" Dawn gave her older sister a look.

"It doesn't exactly fit the profile for your typical bank robber." Xander said.

"Maybe they turned down his loan application like they did Buffy." I popped off while sitting on the stairs to the loft.

"That's him. Big bad." Buffy looked at the book after sending me a face. "This thing was strong, guys. No weapons that I could see, but still....real dangerous." The bell jingled on the front door.

"Pops...." I mumbled as he put his bags down. I ran to give him a hug and Buffy was right behind me.

"Oh, God, Aud, Buffy." He sounded happy. "You're alive. You're here." Pops said while hugging the both of us. "And you're both still remarkably strong!" He said with a strange voice.

"Huh?"

"Oh!" We both backed up.

"Sorry." Buffy and I said.

"Willow told me, but I didn't really let myself believe it."

"We take a little getting used to." Buffy smiled. "And I'm still getting used to us."

"It's, uh- You two-" Pops had a hand on our shoulders.

"A miracle." Buffy said.

"An Ustrina Augendae."

"Yes." Pops nodded "Wait, a what?" He looked at me.

"Well, turns out that Glory knew what I was-my demon half anyway."

"Wait, she did?" Buffy looked at me.

"Yeah, that's why she took me with Dawn." I shrugged one shoulder. "Apparently my blood has magic enhancing properties."

"That actually makes a lot of sense...." Tara said. "You know, cause of what happened when we did spells with you."

"Oh, and it heals!" Dawn added.

"What?" Pops furrowed his brows.

"Uh, Glory said my blood healed demons and, uh, gods, but I wanted to see if it would work on Buffy too 'cause, you know, she's like a superhuman, and it worked." I glanced at Buffy. "Plus, the reason why we couldn't find out what I was was due to the fact that my demon half is actually from another dimension."

"Wow....that's....that's amazing." After that, we went to the training room and caught up. I filled in the rest about what I found out about myself and Buffy and I told how it was to be back alive. Pops also told us how it was for him in England.


	48. You are the one that I desire

"I know they're so cute you could die, but it's all I got." Buffy said as we were setting up the couch for Pops to sleep on.

"Think nothing of it. It's, um, whimsical." He said while taking the pillow covered in brightly colored butterflies.

"They were mine when I was little. Couldn't find the guest sheets." She unfolded the matching sheets to the pillowcase. "Mom always did this stuff." She sighed. "They don't actually fit. I blame the sofa. We need one of those pull-out kinds. The kind with no payments til 2000-infinity?"

"What?"

"Oh, it's just money stuff." Buffy sat on the coffee table. "It turns out Mom left me some, and while we were dead, it got squandered on luxuries like food and clothing."

"I'm able to pay off some of the bills with what I had in my stash, but there's still some that I can't cover." I ran a hand through my hair as Pops sat on the couch.

"How....how bad is it?"

"Anya says pretty bad." Buffy replied.

"We're kind of taking her word for it." I added.

"Actually, I'm kind of trying not to think about it."

"Sound policy. At least for tonight." Pops pointed.

"Figured I'd put it out of my mind. You know, take a break. Get some perspective. And then wake up at 4:00 a.m. terrified." Buffy sighed. She stood up and plopped down on the couch.

"Buffy, Aud, perhaps you're putting too much pressure on yourselves." Pops looked at us. "I mean, to return from some unknown level of Hell, it's only natural that coming back would be a process."

"In the meantime, we're scaring people." I sighed.

"Well, that can take time, too." Pops reached for the pillow. "Well, if it's any consolation, life can be pretty overwhelming, even for people who haven't been where you two have."

"I guess." We both said.

"Look, tomorrow morning, you two and I will sit down together, and we'll go through everything, every bill, one by one. We'll pay off the more important ones with-"

"My stash." I pointed.

"Yes. We'll work it out together."

"I'm glad you're back." Buffy looked at Pops.

"Well, I'm glad you are too." The little blonde woman got up and went up to bed.

"She's right, Pops." I smiled. "Everyone's glad to have you back." Giving him a hug, I wished him a good night and left the living room. Going to the kitchen, I grabbed a pack of _Twizzlers_ and headed to the back porch. Sighing, I sat on the back steps and just looked out at what was before me. Eating the _Twizzlers_ , I couldn't stop thinking about everything.

"Hello, Spike." I looked at the vampire when I caught his faint scent. He smirked and looked to the back door.

"You hear all that noise?" He asked.

"Kinda hard not to." I replied. A while after I had come outside, Pops and Willow had started arguing in the kitchen. "Got ears of a demon."

"You know Papa Bear doesn't mean anything by it." He said while taking a step towards the porch.

"I guess, but he is right." Holding a _Twizzler_ up and looking at it, I took a bite. "Everyone....they all care. They all care so much. It....makes it all harder." I shook my head.

"I'm not sure I followed you round that bend, love." Spike tilted his head.

"I don't know." I said and he sat on the steps next to me. "I just- I feel like I'm spending all of my time trying to be okay so they don't worry. It's exhausting. And then, I-" Looking down, I shook my head again.

"And that makes them worry even more." He looked at me. "You want me to take them out? Give me a Hell of a headache, but I could probably thin the herd a little."

"Oh, stuff it." I pointed at him with a _Twizzler_ while getting he was joking.

"I knew I could get a grin." Spike smirked and I just sighed.

"Why are you always around when I'm gloomy and woebegone?"

"'Cause that's when you're alone, I reckon. I'm not one for crowds myself these days." The vampire said while putting his elbows on his knees.

"Me, neither." I looked at him.

"That works out nicely, then." He smiled. There was a brief moment of quiet as I looked at my now empty _Twizzlers_ bag.

"So, what do you know about finances?" Spike slowly looked at me.

"What?"

"Well, turns out while Buffy and I were MIA, money became a problem and we're in debt now. I can pay off some of it, but we can't get a loan to cover the rest." I answered, but suddenly I heard Dawn screaming and I bolted.

"You're paying for that door, buddy." Buffy said as she grabbed a large demon before tossing him into the living room. "Oh! Table!" She cringed as I heard a crash. There was a sound of glass breaking, and a deep voice bellowed.

"You have cost me, Slayer!"

"I cost you? That's a designer lamp, ya mook!" The M'Fashnik then tackled Buffy into the dining room.

"Hey, Buffy?" I shouted after hearing more glass breaking.

"Not the time for questions, Aud!"

"Well, just wondering if you wanna tag team." There was a quiet pause and when more glass broke, she answered.

"Yeah, that sounds good!" Coming in, I grabbed the demon with my tail and swung him into the wall. When he got up, he was standing in front of the door that lead to the kitchen.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" I asked while looking at Buffy.

"Oh, yeah." She held out her hand. Taking it, we ran at the demon and both drop-kicked him into the kitchen. He partially crashed through the window on the back door, and I jumped to my feet faster than the Slayer.

"Oh, don't break that!" I shouted while grabbing his wrist before he hit a porcelain decoration on the wall. Buffy came in and rammed him into the back wall. He pushed her back and I got him in a head lock by punching his gut. "Open the door!" I called to Spike as he was standing next to the basement door. He looked confused as Buffy got to her feet.

"The basement!" Buffy told him.

"I'm taking him down." Dragging him to the door, I pushed him down the stairs. Splashing into the water, my pants got soaked up to the knees. Fighting the demon, I felt my tail get wet when it dipped down into the water. "Oh, cold!" Kicking the M'Fashnik back, he reached up and pulled down a pipe. Water began to pour out of the now opened ends and I just gave a look. "No!" Grabbing the pipe as he swung it down, I swiped his legs out from under him with my tail.

"Full! Copper! Re-pipe!" I said each word as I hit the demon with the pipe. "No! More! Full! Copper! Re-pipe!" When I was done shouting, I dropped the pipe into the water. "Oh, man....Buffy doesn't need this." Groaning, I looked at the leaking pipes.

"Whoa." I heard Spike on the top of the stairs. "Did you know this place was flooded?"

"Yes, blood breath, I did." Sighing, I reached up and grabbed the pipe. Squeezing my hand shut, I made it to were the water would stop running from the pipe.

"Did you get him?" Buffy called.

~

"Well, I know I'm back in America now that I've been knocked unconscious." Pops said as he, Tara, and I walked into the living room. "Thank you." He said as the witch handed him a towel with ice in it.

"Aw, poor, lumpy Giles." Buffy looked at him. Xander was trying to fix the coffee table while Dawn and Willow were working on the lamp.

"W-what do you think the demon wanted, anyway?" Tara asked. "Uh, aside from costing you a bundle?"

"Don't know. Now he's way too dead to answer that question." Buffy was sitting at the desk with Anya as they had been going over the debt.

"Sorry." I cleared my throat.

"It's okay. I just wish I knew who hired him." The Slayer said

"Ooh, I could do a locator spell." Willow offered, but took it back when Pops looked at her. "Or not."

"That's it." Xander dropped the table leg. "It's been four hours. I'm calling it, people. This coffee table, it's gone. Damn it!" He tossed down the hammer.

"Also, this lamp's in critical condition." Dawn held up pieces of the lamp.

"Well, uh, let's take these things out to the trash and give 'em a decent throwin' out." Everyone picked up a piece of table or lamp and headed to the trash.

"Buffy." Pops sat on the arm of the reclining chair while looking at the Slayer.

"I don't think I can do this." She said without looking up.

"Yes, you can." Pops told her and I took the seat Anya had been sitting in. "Your mother dealt with this sort of thing all the time." Buffy looked at him. "She took one crises at a time, without the aid of any superpowers...." He smiled. "and got through it all- so can you."

"You sure?" She asked.

"I'm positive."

"And I'm odd." I smirked and Buffy just looked at me before giving a small laugh.

"You're such a goofball."

"No, I'm an Aud-ball." Pointing, I gave her a look just before the phone rang.

"Who's calling me?" Buffy asked. "Everybody I know lives here." She walked out. "I'll be back."

"I bet it's creditors." Dawn said. "The hounding's begun. I read about it. So you think we'll starve?"

"I very much doubt it." Pops replied while picking up the notebook with all of Anya's calculations in it.

"If we run out of food, I'll just go out and catch something." Looking at Dawn, I grinned. "Have you ever eaten Thumper?"

"Aud, come on, I know you couldn't live without junk food." Dawn rolled her eyes. "So, no chance I'd have to quit school and work assembling cheap toys in a poorly ventilated sweatshop?"

"Poorly ventilated?" Pops looked at her.

"What have you been reading?" I asked. "Buffy, what's wrong?" Looking at the blonde as she quickly walked past, she turned and looked at us.

"Angel."

"Is he in trouble?" Pops questioned.

"He knows that I'm...." She trailed off. "He needs to see me. I have to see him."

"Well, of course. Y-you'll leave for L.A. tomorrow."

"Not L.A. A-and not here." She shifted on her feet. "Somewhere in the middle. There's a place."

"I see. Well, we should get these bills and things out of the way bef-"

"I'll take care of it." I cut in while seeing Buffy's face. She nodded before walking away, she stopped and looked back.

"Oh, um, thanks for taking care of this for me."

"No problem." I shook my head.


	49. You are the dark, I am the vampire (vampire)

"Hello?" The front door opened.

"Buffy?" Willow asked.

"Oh, yep, it's me, and I brought dinner." I heard her footsteps coming into the dining room. "Deep fried chicken parts. Hope you're....hungry." She paused when she saw we were cleaning up after eating dinner. "You already ate?"

"No." Pops lied. "Well, uh, yes, obviously."

"We didn't know when you'd be coming back." Dawn said.

"It's OK. More for me." Buffy shrugged.

"Yeah, but you're still gonna share." I gestured to the fried chicken bucket she was holding. She smiled and sat down next to me and placed the bucket onto the table.

"I don't know about everyone else, but I would also love some chicken." Tara said.

"Yes, as would I." Pops added.

"I-I'll take a drumstick." Dawn grabbed the bucket.

"I'm a breast gal myself, but then again, you knew that." Willow smiled at Tara. Passing around the chicken, we all grabbed some pieces of it.

"So...."

"What so?" Buffy asked.

"So how was it? Seeing Angel? Him seeing you?" Dawn questioned. "Was it weird?" Buffy got this look on her face.

"Um....it was....intense." She answered and I cleared my throat.

"By intense....you don't mean _'lost his soul'_ , do you?" I asked.

"Oh, no."

"Well, if you want to talk about it-"

"I don't." Buffy cut off Willow. "It's....not important. Past. I'd just rather keep this one to myself, if that's okay."

"Sure, whatever." Dawn looked at her sister.

"Buffy, there, uh, was some discussion in your absence about, um, what-what you're going to do now." Pops said while handing out napkins. "You know, your plans."

"Oh, um, I've been giving that a lot of thought, actually. And I think I've figured it out, what I should do."

"Good, that's good." Willow nodded while smiling.

"Yeah, I figure if I hold off paying the plumber, I can pay the utility bill, and then I can wait to re-shingle the roof until we get the refund back-"

"No, I meant with your life." Pops told Buffy.

"Oh. Life plans." She paused while looking at her hands. "Um, wow.... I have no idea. I guess, um, well I-I left school, you know, when mom got sick, but I always figured I'd go back. And then she...." Buffy looked down again. "Um, so I-I was thinking about re-enrolling, but, um, I missed the registration cutoff. Busy being dead and all."

"Well, if it's too late for late registration and too early for early, you can always come to classes with Tara and me."

"Right. You-you can audit for the rest of the semester until registration." Tara nodded.

"Audit. I guess I could do that." She seemed to think. "Yeah, I mean, that sounds like a good plan. What do you think, Giles?" Buffy looked to Pops. He just sort of nodded his head.

"I'm actually thinking about looking for another job." I stated. "So if you wanna really go back, I can do that and pay off more bills." Buffy turned to me.

"Really?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "The Magic Box is sort of a hobby job, if I got another one, that would bring in more income. Plus, I have quiet a bit of extra time on my hands while Dawn's at school."

~

After Buffy's first day auditing at school, things went terribly wrong, so she wanted to try just getting a job. She tried out working on the construction site with Xander, but that didn't go too well, either. Apparently, demons attacked while she was there and their fight made quiet a mess. Then, she wanted to try out helping at the Magic Box.

"Okay, great." I nodded as she was telling me about working at the shop. "You can cover me while I go job hunting."

"Cool, then it works out." She said before we got to the Magic Box. I was walking with her before seeing if any of the nearby places were hiring. Place after place, every where I looked for a job, they had problems with how I filled out my application. Apparently, you can't leave a lot of the lines blank, but if I had filled them in, I'd either be giving away I was a demon or lying.

"Come on! Can't I just get a job!" I groaned as the day went on. "Just one, measly place to hire me." Rolling my shoulders, I went to the next block and continued my job hunt.

"Excuse me, miss?" I felt a tap on my shoulder as I was filling out an application for a book store. The work would be a lot like at the magic shop, so I was qualified experience wise, but the pay would be more here. Turning, I looked back.

"Yes?" There stood a middle aged man in a suit with his hair slicked back as he was looking down at me. He smiled before holding out his hand.

"Hi, my name is Noah Smith, and I was wondering if you work here."

"Uh, no, but hopefully." I shook his hand while holding up the application. "If you need help, I think I saw someone who works here go that way just a second ago." Pointing as I shook his hand, he laughed.

"Oh, no, no. I don't need help, I was just wanting to offer you a job. Since your applying, I can assume you are free to take my offer." He pulled a little card from his coat pocket and handed it to me. "This is my business card."

"Photographer? I don't really do photography." I said while looking at the card.

"I wasn't asking for you to be a photographer, I was offering you a job to be the subject. You know, a model." He smiled.

"Okay, let me get this straight, _you_ -" I pointed at him. "will pay _me_ to just stand there and let you take pictures?"

"Stand, sit, lie down, whatever the idea is at the moment." Noah put his hands into his pockets. "The pay is good, if you're wondering. Extremely good." He then smirked. "Pictures of a beauty like you would go for quite a bit."

"Uh, thanks....I guess. So, do I have to have an interview?"

"This is it."

"And how am I doing?" I raised a brow.

"Very well, if I do say so myself." Noah chuckled.

"Wow, this is too good to be true." I smiled while glancing at the business card. "What kind of photos do you take?" Asking, I looked back at him.

"I do pin-up and nude photography." As soon as he said that, my smiled fell and I sighed.

~

"This is so aggravating." I picked up the shot glass and tossed my head back as I drank the foul smelling liquid. "Blah!" Shaking my head, I didn't really like the taste the alcohol left in my mouth. "Life is stupid."

"I have a dim memory of that, yeah." Spike said while setting down his glass. "And I didn't figure you were here cadging my whiskey 'cause life is all full of blood and peaches." Sighing, I looked down at the empty shot in my hand.

"There's this thing....someone's doing stuff to Buffy, messing up her life, and I apparently can't get a job. The only one other than Pops willing to hire me in this town was this idiot named Noah."

"And why didn't you take the job?"

"He was a nude photographer, that's why."

"So, you, uh, just, what? You gonna let that get you down and let this whoever play Buffy till it figures out what kills her?"

"Well, Pops is working on the Buffy thing." I set down the glass and grabbed the flask.

"Oh, good, 'cause Giles wields the mighty force of library books." The vampire popped off.

"And you'd do better?" I raised my brows.

"Damn right." He said. "I'd hit the demon world." Pouring more alcohol into the shots, Spike swung his leg over and straddled the coffin we were sitting on. "Ask questions, throw punches, find out what's in the air. Hmm, it's fun, too." Looking at him, I shook my head.

"It's not Buffy's kind of fun."

"What about your's?"

"No, not mine either." My tail twitched.

"Yeah, it is." He leaned forward a little. "And your life's gonna get a lot less confusing when you figure that out."

"You have had so too much drink, I am cuttin' you off." I made a face while taking the shot. "Blaagh!" I shook my head again.

"You're not a shop girl." Pouring the rest of the flask into my glass, I set it to the side. "You're a creature of the darkness. Like me." He said while tilting his head.

"Correction, I'm only half." I pointed and he chuckled.

"Just try on my world. See how good it feels." Looking at him, I paused.

"Are there drinks in your world? I don't seem to be feelin' anything from this flask." He grinned.

~

"Your motorcycle is loud." I said while rubbing my ears as we walked into a bar.

"SSSSpike." The bartender's tongue was forked like a snake's as the vampire led the way to the bar.

"The usual, Dave, and one for the lady." He pulled some cash from his pocket as the forked tongue dude was pouring the drinks and I just took the bottle. "We're heading for the back room, pet." Pulling off the weird lid, I dropped it onto the bar. "Where the real action is." He said as I took a drink.

"Bleh..." I shook my head while following him. To tell the truth, I was starting to get used to the taste the alcohol was leaving in my mouth. Spike opened the back door and I walked under his arm and saw it was a supply room.

"These lowlifes know everything that happens in this town." The bleached blonde waved his hands.

"Oh, good, these are the lowlifes." The demons around the table looked at me.

"Fine. A little louder." Spike gave me a look. Rolling my eyes, I took another drink. "Boys, what's the game?" He walked up to the table.

"You know the game, Spike. You in?"

"He kills our kind. Don't let him in." Spike drug the demon from his chair by the front of his shirt and I pointed.

"Oh, ask him if he's-"

"Later." The vampire than tossed the demon towards the back door. My brows furrowed when he took the now vacant seat and picked up the cards.

"You're gonna play poker?" Spike made a face before putting the cards back down.

"I need a moment with my lady." He said while standing up.

"Go ahead." The bald, wrinkly looking dog thing waved a hand. Spike took me by the shoulder and stood me a few feet away.

"Look, you wanna play, that's fine. But I am sticking to the original plan." Gesturing to the table, I looked at the demons. "Which one do I kill for information?" I asked while letting my tail grow out.

"Listen, these guys talk while they play." Spike looked at me. "We'll get more information out of their mouths than out of gaping holes in their corpses." He pointed. Rolling my eyes again, my tail twitched.

"Well, if that's the case, I could play. I know how to drag a game out for hours and still win."

"'You' know how to play poker?"

"How do you think I got money before working at Magic Box?" He didn't answer and just went back to the table. Sitting in a spare chair, my tail began to curl and uncurl.

"I'm in." Spike took the empty spot. "Everybody okay with that?"

"Ante up." The floppy-eared demon shrugged.

"You play for kittens?" I furrowed my brows while watching the demons put the baby cats into a basket on the table.

"So, who's gonna advance me a tiny tabby, get me started?" Spike rubbed his hands together. "Come on, someone's got to stake me."

"I will." I smiled. "What? You thought I was just gonna let that lie there? I learned a lot from Buffy." Smirking, I took a drink. "Blegh."

"Isn't she a feline? You could use her." One demon popped off.

"I am _not_ a cat." I snarled. The demon just leaned back before silently turning his attention back to the game.

~

"You're lucky today, Spike." The demons groaned as the bleached blond won all the kittens.

"I've got my good luck charm with me." He pointed at me.

"The luck of Siberia." I raised my nearly empty bottle. Apparently, my accent got thicker the more I drank.

"You cleaned us out. No one's that lucky."

"Yeah. I'm startin' to think you cheated." The floppy-eared demon pointed.

"Me?" He filled a basket with the kittens. "I cheat?" Spike sat down. "'He's' got x-ray vision." The vampire pointed at the scaled demon across the table.

"I'm not using it." He shifted in his seat.

"We are not the ones who are cheating." I could hear the mewling kittens as Spike openly stared at the floppy-eared demon's arm where a card was sticking out between his wrinkles. "I-I had no idea that was there." He looked at everyone around the table. "I could've leaned on that days ago."

"You'd better go, Spike. Things could get ugly." The vomit colored demon said.

"Got ugly the second he walked in, him and his half-breed."

"So you can smell my humanity." I raised a middle finger.

"Her skin's so tight, I don't even know how you can look at it. Eww." The wrinkly guy pointed at me. Spike rose to his feet while glaring at the demon and I rolled my eyes.

"Leave your winnings and get out." The vomit colored one said and the other ones agreed. "We'll forget this whole thing."

"Ah. So, it's a setup, isn't it?" Spike turned to the one with short, thick horns on the back of his head. "Squeeze a few quid out of the vamp. Well, I'll tell you what you didn't count on. Me and the bird-"

"Bleah." I shook my head from the taste in my mouth.

"You want a fight? You face the two of us."

"What? I'm not getting into a bar fight. I'll beat 'em up for information, sure, but not to defend your rights to gamble for kittens." I looked at them. "Which, by the way, is lame currency. You can't buy any food with them."

"They're delicious!" The vomit colored one said.

"You eat them?!" I gave a look of disgust.

"Come on, short stack. A big fight's just what you need." Spike looked at me.

"Shove off. I'm not playing by anyone else's rules anymore." Rising to my feet, I went to the basket. "I'm done." Opening the basket, I dumped out all the kittens and they began to scamper away.

"Hey, I won these!" Spike raised his voice at me.

"Be free little kitties!" I said before leaving the back room. The vampire followed me, and as I was about to leave, he stopped me by grabbing my shoulder.

"What's wrong, love?"

"What's wrong?!" I tossed up my hands. "You were gonna help me. You-you were gonna beat heads and-and-and fix me and Buffy's lives. But you're completely lame. Today just sucks!" Throwing my hands down at my sides, I looked at the vampire. "And- Look at me! Look at-look at dumb Aud. Too stupid to lie for work and....and....and freak Aud. Too inhuman to fill out the blanks in the applications forms and-and my job at the magic shop? It's not enough to help out the Summers, I mean, Pops is the one paying me so it's just like mowing lawns in the summer. And the only person I can even stand to be around besides Buffy is a....neutered vampire who cheats at _kitten_ poker." I pointed at him.

"Oh. You saw the cheating, did you?"

"Yeah! Also....I think you smell weird." Walking away, I left the demon bar. Standing outside, I crossed my arms. I had no idea where I was or how to get back to familiar territory. Looking around, I noticed a strange van parked outside. Narrowing my eyes, I saw the plate numbers. _'That's the van Buffy said was following her.'_

"That van." I said out loud when Spike nearly ran into me.

"You want to steal a van, I'm with you, love, but we have got the motorcycle." The vampire gestured.

"No, it's the one Buffy said was following her." Walking towards it, my tail swayed. I could smell humans in the vehicle.

"Raaaa! You have discovered me!" A big red demon jumped out from the front of the van. "But do not try to defeat me, for I have been testing your friend, and I know her weaknesses." He laughed as the van's engine started up and it drove away. Drop-kicking the demon, he fell back, groaning as I laid in the middle of the street.

"Whoa, that's a lot of stars...." I mumbled while looking at the sky. Getting to my feet, I felt Spike helping me up. "Back up off me! I can stand on my own." Shaking him off, he stepped back while raising his hands in surrender.

"I am well struck!" The demon with long horns groaned. "I call on the misty portal to my demon dimension, where I'll lay my head and gently die." He tossed something down and a cloud of smoke filled my field of vision.

"He went poof. Did you see that?" I furrowed my brows while fanning the smoke out of my face.

"Yeah, I saw. He's gone."

"Gotta love it, you know? Makes you feel all powerful....strong." I nodded while waving a fist. "I think....I think I'm sobering up now." My tail twitched. "Great," I sighed. "found a downside to fast healing." Looking at the bleached blonde, I pointed to the parked bike. "Come on, blood breath, take me home so I can tell Buffy what her foe looks like."


	50. Who is the spy in your campaign

The Magic Box was filled with customers with the _'Halloween Bone-anza'_ and the bell was ringing on the door nearly every second with people coming and going. Anya was skating around, helping customers while Xander was occupying children. Pops was behind the counter, ringing up sales, and I was assisting people around the shop. Dawn was making signs to put on the tables and shelves to show off the Halloween sales. Even Willow and Tara were helping out.

"I'm just saying you might want to rethink the stereotype before someone turns _you_ into a toad." Willow was getting upset again due to seeing yet another green, warty witch with a broom. The 'witch' took the _Remedial Witchcraft_ book from the redhead and rolled her eyes. "And while you're at it, why don't you try removing that broomstick from your-"

"Dawn!" I cut Willow off while standing next to her and watching the little Summers walk over. Putting an arm on Willow's shoulder, I gave her a look.

"Dawn." She smiled.

"Hey. Don't stop the invective on accounts of me." Dawn said.

"If I see one more idiot that thinks witches are all hairy moles and rotten teeth-"

"Excuse me." A small voice came from below. Looking down, I saw a little girl dressed as a witch. "Do you have any candy corn?"

"Oh!" Willow knelt down in front of the girl. "Look at you. You are just the cutest thing."

"But I-I thought you said-"

"I know. But look." Willow glanced at Dawn before turning to the girl. "With the hat and the-the wart. Ah. Oh. Let's go fill your tummy up with sugary niblets, okay?" The real witch then walked away with the pseudo-witch.

"So, what are you supposed to be?" I asked Dawn.

"Oh, I'm not dressed up. Halloween is lame."

"What? How? Halloween is **_amazing_**!" Looking at her, I could hardly believe my ears.

"Yeah, I keep hearing that. What are you supposed to be anyways?" She furrowed her brows while looking at me.

"Well, I heard about that time that every one got turned into their costumes, so, to be on the safe side, I went with something badass." I grinned. "I'm Lara Croft from Tomb Raider."

"Uh-huh...."

"Oh, Anya's calling!" I waved goodbye to Dawn and went to the ex-demon dressed as a Charlie's Angel.

"Aud, uh, we're running low on mandrake root. Check the basement." Anya then skated away.

"Oh, since you're going down there, mind taking this?" Buffy asked me while holding a box full of miscellaneous objects.

"Still got that thing about the basement?" I asked while taking the box.

"Just playing it safe." She said with a smile.

"Okay, um, could you cover the books for me?"

"Sure." Buffy nodded.

"Thanks, you're a life saver-and I don't mean the candy." I grinned while walking away to the basement. Putting the box onto my hip, I opened the door. Going down the stairs, I began to mumble to myself. "Wait....where's the mandrake root again? Um, I think it was- Oh!" I slightly jumped when I almost ran into Spike as he was walking the opposite way I was. "Bell. Neck. Look into it. Bad enough I can hardly smell you vampires."

"Come with a nice leather collar, does it?" He raised his brows.

"What the Hell are you doing lurking down here?" I asked while holding onto the box.

"Came through the tunnels. Runnin' low on Berber Weed." He raised one hand while holding the said dried up plant. "Stir it in with the blood. Makes it all hot and spicy." Giving him a look, I then rolled my eyes as I set down the box. "What? I was gonna pay for it." Raising my brows while putting my hands onto my hips, he looked at me. "I mean, no. I was gonna nick it 'cause that's what I do." He scoffed while rolling his head. "I go where I please, and I take what I want. What's your excuse anyway? I thought you had it to the brim with customers up there." Spike glanced up.

"Buffy's covering for me at the moment, which I should hurry up and get back up there." Shifting on my feet, I looked around. "You happen to know where the Mandrake root is?" The vampire looked around.

"Um, here." He walked to one of the shelves covered in containers of dried herbs and plants. "There are three to a jar." Spike said while grabbing a container. "Tend to go a bit wonky if you cram 'em too close." He added while handing the jar to me.

"Thanks." I told the vampire while glancing at the roots.

"Feel like a bit of the rough-and-tumble?"

"What?" I cleared my throat while looking at him.

"Me, you. Patrolling. Hello?" Spike clarified.

"Oh. Uh, I'm still working. And Buffy is waiting for me to come back. Maybe tomorrow." Walking towards the stairs, I held onto the jar of Mandrake roots.

"Hmm, yeah. It's not like I don't already have plans. _The Great Pumpkin_ is on in 20." The vampire said while turning away and heading towards the back.

"So much easier to handle when he wanted me dead." I sighed while going up the stairs. Going back into the shop, the noise from all the people filled my ears even more than when I was in the basement.

"Oh! Go help Giles." Anya said while skating to me and taking the jar. She skated away, and I went behind the counter.

"What happened to pirate Xander?" I questioned Pops. He was wearing a blue robe covered in stars and crescent moons as he was furiously trying to check-out customers and give them their items.

"He kept poking me with his hook." The register dinged.

"I sent him to Charmed Objects. With luck, he'll poke the wrong one and end up in an alternative dimension, inhabited by a 50-foot Giles that squishes annoying, teeny pirates." Pops said as I handed him objects to bag. "Look, we've got a ton of bagging to do here."

"A-actually, blood breath had a really good idea. You know, maybe Buffy an-and I should patrol." I shrugged one shoulder while putting things into bags.

"Aud, you and Buffy have been patrolling every night this week. Besides, it's Halloween. It's the one time of the year the supernatural threats give it a well- deserved rest-as you two should as well."

"Yeah? But what about costumes that take over your personality? Or wee, little Irish fear demon thingies? I remember you telling me about that happening." I looked at Pops.

"Yes, well, if anything calamitous should happen, history suggests it'll happen to one of us." Pops was handing people their bags and receipts.

"Uh-huh. Exactly. So, we should patrol to avoid any of that. And I'm bagging." I sighed as Pops handed me this weird silver statue.

~

"Come again." Dawn gave a wave and a small laugh as she closed the front door behind the last set of customers. "In a zillion years." She sighed while leaning on the back of the door.

"Store go boom. Arrr." Xander popped off while lying in the floor and waving his plastic hook. 

"That was the most incredible thing I have ever experienced." Anya was smiling from behind the register. "Except for that." She added when Xander looked at her. "What you all did for me tonight...." The ex-demon looked at us as Dawn walked behind the counter. "The astounding heaps of money you helped me-"

"Ahem." Pops took off his glasses.

"Us acquire. All I can say is-I hope we make as much tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Buffy glanced at her.

"Oh, post-holiday clearance. The cornerstone of retail." She nodded with a smile. Buffy gave a small whine as the rest of us groaned.

"Brooms all around then." Pops said as he stood up and put his glasses back on.

"Or I could whip up a jaunty self-cleaning incantation. It'll be like _Fantasia_." Willow offered.

"And we all know how splendidly that turned out for Mickey." Pops stated while handing a broom and dustpan to Willow.

"I think I'm a little more adept than a cartoon mouse."

"And you have more fingers, which is good 'cause then there's no need to wear those big, white gloves to overcompensate." Tara told Willow.

"You know, if you had a real peg leg, you wouldn't just have a lame costume." Buffy nudged Xander. "You'd actually be lame, which is completely different."

"You do this every night?" Dawn asked as she was doing the money dance with Anya.

"Every time I close out the cash register. The dance of capitalist superiority." Anya replied as they were waving around the money.

"I'm gonna marry that girl." Xander said while looking at the ex-demon.

"What? She's 15 and my sister, so don't eve-" I made her look at Anya by turning her head with one hand. "Oh."

"Hey, everybody." Xander rose to his feet. "Can I, um...." He waved a hand at us while walking to the register. "Uh, there's something Anya and I want to tell you." The human male gestured to the Charlie's Angel.

"Right now?" She said lowly and I got a weird suspicious feeling in my gut something big was about to happen.

"Now." He nodded to her. "We're getting married."

"Oh, my God." Dawn smiled.

"Congratulations." Tara told them.

"That's-that's....wow." Willow said as we all rose to our feet.

"It's a big wow."

"I-I thought you were waiting for the right moment." Anya looked at Xander.

"I did." And then they kissed. Strangely, it didn't bother me.... Shifting on my feet, I couldn't figure out why I wasn't grossed out.

"Here," Anya chuckled while looking at Dawn. "have some money." She tossed the bills she was holding before wrapping her arms around Xander's neck as they kissed again.

"Did you know about this?" Buffy asked Pops with a low voice.

"No. Unless I blocked it from my memory, much as I will Xander's vigorous use of his tongue." Pops quickly took off his glasses and began to clean them.

"Is that why you're always cleaning your glasses?" Buffy gave him a look. "So you don't have to see what we're doing?"

"Tell no one." He put his glasses back on and I chuckled at him.

"Giles, this is....we have to do something."

~

"God save the queen." Xander was raising his red, plastic cup as Pops held a tray of drinks for the guys.

"Sorry we couldn't do the big fancy. You kind of caught us with out parties down." Buffy told Xander and Anya.

"Oh, that's okay. This is just the first premarital celebration. There will be lots more. With gifts." Anya nodded while I was standing there with a bowl of chips and eating them.

"Sure. Maybe we'll even have time to decorate for the next one." Tara said as she and Willow came back from the kitchen with more snacks.

"Why wait?" Willow asked before speaking in a different language. Suddenly, party decorations began to fill the room.

"This is so much better than the way it usually looks." Anya hugged Willow. "Thank you." As the party went on, the witches went back to the kitchen to refill the snacks.

"How many other things have changed since we've been away?" Buffy asked Willow as she was coming back with a big bowl of chips. Dawn was following her, and I just grabbed a handful of chips.

"Oh, I got a tattoo." Dawn smiled while pointing to herself.

"What?" I coughed.

"What?" Buffy looked to the redhead.

"Which is why we told her no." Willow glanced at the little Summers girl.

"Just a little one?" Dawn asked her sister.

"Over my dead body. The kind that doesn't come back."

"Yeah, Dawn. Those things are seriously permanent. Why don't you wait until you're older?" Buffy gave me a look. "Or not." I shook my head. "No ink for the mini."

"Fine." Dawn said. "Congratulations." She turned to Anya and gave her a hug. "You're very lucky finding a guy like him."

"Not as lucky as me." Xander gave the ex-demon a kiss on the cheek.

"See you guys tomorrow?" Dawn looked back at us.

"Oh. _Tomorrow_?" Buffy stopped her little sister as she was walking away.

"Yeah. I'm sleeping over at Janice's. Remember?"

"That's tonight?" The little blonde asked.

"No. It's on the other Halloween. Come on. You said I could." Buffy looked at me.

"Uh....well, I-I know I did. It's just, you know, now with Xander's party...." She then looked to the pirate.

"Oh, we're good, but you'll have to get us some extra gifts for our reception."

"Yes, please." Anya smiled.

"Uh, I-I don't know. Giles?"

"Uh, it's really not up to me."

"Come on. It's four blocks away. I'll walk straight over." Dawn looked at her sister. "It's not like I'm gonna be roaming the streets. Please?"

"You remember my number?" I asked her.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Not gonna wear perfume so Aud can track you?" Buffy questioned.

"Not gonna wear perfume." Dawn raised a hand.


	51. Is it the wife or is it your adviser

"So, I was thinking maybe a June wedding." Anya stated as she stood next to Xander. "But then I remembered that they always had the highest percentage of calls for vengeance. So now I'm leaning towards as soon as damn possible." She glanced at Xander as Buffy, Pops, and I sat on the couch in that order. "With mortal life being so short, we gotta cram in as much marital bliss as we can before we wither and die." Xander began to get this look on his face as Anya kept going. "I mean, there's just so much to consider though. I mean, planning the wedding and new cars, a house and babies. You have to plan for babies, otherwise they'll just run roughshod over your entire existence."

"Yeah. You-you gotta know what to call them before they hit college." Xander grinned.

"Ah. Rupert is an exceptionally strong name." Pops pointed, making Anya laugh.

"Yeah. If we want our progeny to eat paste and have their lunch money stolen." That made Buffy and I chuckle and Pops gave me a look.

"What?" I covered my smile.

"Look, all that matters is that they're happy." Buffy waved a hand at the couple. "Everything else is thick gravy goodness."

"I know." Anya nodded. "I mean, I'm the luckiest ex-demon in the world. I mean, to be be able to find the one person in-in all dimensions that I was meant to be with and-and have everything work out exactly as I dreamed. I mean, how often does the universe allow that to happen?" Anya asked and Buffy got this look on her face.

~

"Air. Sweet mother oxygen." Xander said as he and Buffy went outside. I followed, also getting the same feeling as the human male.

"Are you okay?" Buffy questioned.

"Yeah, I just...." He trailed off as they sat down. "It's just I didn't think it'd be so much."

"But this is good, right?" I sat down across from them. "Isn't this how all those movies finish with a happy ending?"

"Yeah. This is love and celebration and moving forward." Buffy nodded. "Anya's right. This is the way life's supposed to work out."

"Right." Xander nodded his head. "Deep pools of ooey delight." He chuckled. "I'm wallowing, not drowning."

"Definite wallow action."

"Okay. So, once more into the breach?" Xander stood up.

"Oh, I think my breaches are wearing a little thin." Buffy rose to her feet.

"Wanna take Spike up on the offer to patrol?" I asked. "While we're out, we can cash in these raffle tickets." Smiling, I pulled two little tickets. "Got them while I was out lookin' for a costume, they're good for tonight only."

"Sure. Plus, there's gotta be somethin' out there cruisin' for a smack-down." Buffy nodded as I handed a ticket to her. Xander went back inside while the Slayer and I went down the porch steps.

~

"So, I just hand this to the guy and he reads the number to see if I won anything?" Buffy asked as we stood in line behind two other people.

"Yeah. Sometimes you'll win money, small prizes, vacations, all kinds of stuff." I waved my hand. "Hey, be your luck, you might get a good cash prize." Smirking, we went up next to the ticket collector.

"I wish." Buffy looked down at her ticket. "What have you won before?"

"Money, coupons for groceries, Hell, I even won a car once. But I never had a license, so it went to the Watchers at the council." I shrugged as Buffy handed over the ticket in her hand. The guy looked at the number, found it on the list next to him and saw the prize. Reaching under the table, he smiled while handing Buffy a brown paper lunch bag.

"I get a sandwich?" She asked while looking inside. Her eyes went wide as I handed over my ticket.

"What'd you get?" I asked as we walked away after I got my little envelope.

"A bunch of candy and 20 bucks." She pulled out the two tens before putting them into her pocket. "I guess you were right about the money part. Want a lollipop?"

"Sure." Taking the offered candy, I stuck it in my mouth while opening my envelope. "Cool." I grinned while pulling out my prize. "I think I do have the luck of Siberia, check it out." Looking at Buffy, I showed off the black skeleton ring with a large black jewel on it. ( [087d810339fa5JECS00091jpg](https://img1.jeulia.com/media/catalog/product/cache/877042223109cc2bc0869ffe42af0ed8/0/8/087d810339fa5JECS00091jpg.jpg)) It dangled from a black chain and I put it on around my neck while stuffing the envelope and candy rapper into my back pocket on my shorts. "Think it's real?"

"Dunno, but it's shiny." Buffy shrugged while carrying the bag under her arm. As we were crossing the street, an ambulance raced past with it's siren's blaring. Following the vehicle, Buffy and I saw them loading up a woman into the back. There were people crowded around, but I could smell blood and I saw a bruised bite on the woman's neck.

~

"Get your gear together." Buffy said as she burst into the crypt. "We need to-" She cut off when she saw the TV on and no vampire.

"Spike?" I called.

"You know, in civilized cultures that's called trespassing." The bleached blonde came up from behind us.

"Good thing you're uncivilized." I popped off and Spike looked at us before chuckling.

"We've got trouble." Buffy said.

"Giles found you?"

"Giles? No. Was he looking for us?"

"He didn't call." I furrowed my brows while patting my pockets for my phone. "Or....maybe he did. I don't seem to have my cell." I then checked my bra to make sure I didn't stick it there instead.

"Yeah, it's Dawn."

"Dawn?" I looked up.

"Wh-what happened?" Buffy asked.

"No, it's okay. Giles was by here earlier looking for you two." Spike shook his head. "Dawn and her little friend pulled a Houdini. Up to a bit of candy-corn mischief, I suspect."

"Wait. She's out there running around by herself?" Buffy looked at the bleached blonde.

"Yeah, kids these days, eh?"

"Oh, not good." I glanced to Buffy while feeling my teeth turn to fangs.

"I did a sweep of the tunnels. Giles is pokin' about the cemetery." Spike said as Buffy walked past him.

"We have to find her." The Slayer looked back while opening the chest where Spike kept his weapons.

"I don't think she's in there." He popped off as Buffy tossed him a crossbow.

"Duh, blood breath. We'll explain along the way." My tail swayed as Buffy and I rushed out.

~

"So, this a private game or, uh, can anyone join in?" Spike placed a hand on Pops shoulder when we finally found him and Dawn. There were a bunch of cars with their headlights lighting up the clearing in the woods where we stood.

"Dawn, are you-" Buffy ran up while holding a stake and my tail twitched as I got an idea of how Dawn had gotten here. "Were you parking with a vamp?" She pointed at the cars while furrowing her brows at Dawn. The teen-aged vampire let the little Summers girl go.

"I-I didn't know he was dead." Dawn said while wearing the vampire's letterman jacket.

"Living dead." He corrected.

"Shut up."

"How could you not know?" I asked.

"I just met him." Dawn replied.

"Oh. Oh. So you were parking in the woods with a boy you just met." Buffy waved her hand.

"We've seen each other at parties." The vampire next to Dawn said.

"Shut up." Buffy and I said.

"I don't believe you." Buffy went back to her sister.

"Oh, like you've never fallen for a vampire?" Dawn nodded while tilting her head.

"That was different."

"It always is when it's you."

"Uh, excuse me." Another vampire brought attention to himself. "Can we fight now?"

"Hey, didn't anyone come here to just make out?" Buffy asked. A couple raised their hands. "Aw, that's sweet. You run." Buffy nodded while gesturing to the car behind them. "You scream." She pointed and we began to fight.

We each went different ways, taking out vampires as they came at us. Thanks to the costume I was wearing, it was easy to move around and fight. Holding a stake in my tail, I would get multiple vampires to turn to dust by staking and pulling off their heads. I don't know why, but I found myself thinking that this was one of the best Halloweens I had ever had-besides Dawn being in trouble, that is.

~

"Sorry about the party." Buffy had her hands on her hips as we were back home.

"Ah, don't worry about it." Xander said as he and Anya were leaving.

"It gave me more time to plan the bridal shower." Anya smiled. "Uh, where do we order obscenely muscular male strippers?" She asked.

"Anya." Xander said as he opened the front door.

"I'm kidding. Geez." She looked at Xander as they were walking out the door. Buffy and I followed them to the door as Anya looked back. "We'll talk." She whispered.

"I guess I should bugger off." Turning to face Spike, I closed the door to keep the bugs out. "Something about big bads not venturing far from the crypts on Halloween."

"Good fight." Buffy said.

"Thanks for the help." I nodded to the vampire while opening the door back up.

"So, uh, big monster bashing?" Willow got up from the couch. "Sorry we missed it."

"As long as Dawn's all right." Tara added as she walked past the redhead and stood next to Buffy.

"Yeah, that's what's-"

"I-I think I'm gonna turn in. Good night." Tara cut the other witch off while looking at us. She walked off and Willow followed her.

"Tara. Tara."

"So, how's the face?" I looked up at Pops as he held a bag of ice to his cheek.

"Oh, still ruggedly handsome. _Grandpa_ indeed. Ow." He said while showing his face before putting the ice back on. "What is that around your neck?" Pops furrowed his brows.

"Oh, won it in a raffle. Buffy got $20 and a bunch of candy." I shrugged. Pops nodded before we all glanced to the kitchen were Dawn was quietly sitting.

"She's taking it pretty hard." Buffy sighed.

"Well, it's not surprising. Still, we can't ignore this kind of behavior. Something needs to be done before it spins out of control."

"You're right. I'm glad you're here to take care of it." Buffy nodded. "Don't be too hard on her, okay?" The Slayer then hurried up the stairs.

"Good luck." I gave two thumbs up before following the short blonde woman.


	52. I wanna suck the blood from your veins

I woke to the sound of Buffy's alarm clock going off and groaned as I got up and prepared for the day. I didn't really want to, but I did anyways. Knowing the bathroom would be chaos with the girls, I simply got ready in my room and just brushed my teeth in the kitchen sink.

At the Magic Box, Buffy borrowed one of my sketch books and we just doodled most of the day together until Pops took us to the back room to train. When night fell, we went out and patrolled, walking through the gravestones and keeping an eye out for demons. Sighing, I looked at Buffy and she was looking at me.

"~Every single night, the same arrangement, we go out and fight the fight.~" She sang.

"~Still I always feel the strange estrangement.~" I began to sing.

"~Nothing here is real.~" Buffy looked to the vampire that jumped out in front of us.

"~Nothing here is right.~" I added.

"~I've been making shows of trading blows, just hoping no one knows that I've been going through the motions.~" The Slayer blocked the bloodsuckers strikes and tossed him behind us. "~Walking through the part.~"

"~Nothing seems to penetrate my....heart.~" I sang while staking the vampire with the piece of wood I held with my tail.

"~I was always brave and kind of righteous. Now I find I'm wavering.~" The Slayer continued as we kept walking. We then saw a bunch of vampires dealing with a ram looking demon. "~Crawl out of your grave, you find this fight just doesn't mean a thing.~"

"~She ain't got that swing.~" A vampire said after Buffy punched him. He then elbowed her in the face and she fell back.

"~Thanks for noticing.~" Buffy sang as I helped her to her feet.

"~They do pretty well with fiends from Hell, but lately we can tell that their just going through the motions.~" The demons sang as Buffy grabbed the sword sticking out of the ground.

"~Going through the motions.~" I took out the vampires while Buffy stabbed the ram demon with the sword.

"~Faking it somehow~." After Buffy pulled out the sword, we walked away.

"~They're not even half the girls they-ow.~" The demon died as Buffy carried the sword with her.

"~Will we stay this way forever? Sleepwalk through our life's endeavor?~" The Slayer and I sang as I cut through the ropes with my claws that were holding a human male to a tree.

"~How can I repay you?~" The tall man asked.

"~Whatever.~" We turned away as Buffy tossed the sword.

"~We don't want to be~ going through the motions, losing all our drive. We can't even see if this is really me, and we just wanna be....~" Buffy and I staked a couple vamps that came at us on either side. "~Alive~!~" We both raised our hands out as the dusted bloodsuckers floated off in the breeze. Clearing my throat, I glanced at Buffy and we just awkwardly looked at each other.

~

"Good morning, you two." Pops said as the Slayer and I walked into the Magic Box.

"Oh, hey. Did Dawn get off to school all right?" Willow asked as she and Tara where at the shelf full of candles.

"What? Oh, uh, yeah, I think so." Buffy told them. Walking towards the table, we saw Xander playing with his donuts.

"So, uh, no research?" I asked Pops as he was reaching for a donut from the box.

"Nothing going on, monsters or whatnot?" Buffy looked from Xander to Giles. They both shook their heads. "Good."

"Good." I nodded with Buffy. Glancing at my feet, I shifted and put my hands on my hips. "Uh, so did anybody, uh....last night, you know, did anybody, um...."

"Burst into song?" Buffy finished for me.

"Merciful Zeus!" Xander gasped as everyone looked at each other.

"We thought it was just us." Willow said as she and Tara came over.

"I sang, but I had my guitar." Pops furrowed his brows.

"It was bizarre." Willow looked at us.

"W-we were talking. Then it was-"

"Like you were in a musical." Buffy finished Tara's sentence.

"That would explain the huge backing orchestra I couldn't see and the synchronized dancing from the room service chaps." Pops trailed off.

"And we were arguing, an-and then everything rhymed, and there were harmonies and a dance with coconuts." Anya went on.

"It was very disturbing." Xander added.

"What did you two sing about?" Pops asked.

"We-we did a duet about slaying." I lied after Buffy and I exchanged glanced.

"But i-it seemed perfectly normal." Buffy shrugged one shoulder.

"But disturbing and not the natural order of things. Do you think it'll happen again?" Xander asked.

"I don't know. We should look into it." Pops sat down.

"With the books." Willow nodded.

"Do we have any books on this?" Tara looked at the redhead before looking to the rest of us.

"We just gotta break it down, look at the factors before it happens again, 'cause I, for one-"

"~I've got a theory that it's a demon.~" Pops cut off Xander as he took off his glasses and narrowed his eyes. "~A dancing demon. No, something isn't right there.~" Pops sat back while biting on one of the legs on his glasses.

"~I've got a theory. Some kid is dreaming, and we're all stuck inside his wacky Broadway nightmare.~" Willow pointed as Tara waved her fingers.

"~I've got a theory, we should work this ou~t.~" Xander sang as Buffy walked away.

"~It's getting eerie. What's this cheery singing all about?~" We all sang.

"~It could be witches, some evil witches.~" Xander rose to his feet while pointed a finger. He turned to Willow and Tara as they were giving him looks. "~Which is ridiculous 'cause witches, they were persecuted, and Wicca good and love the Earth and woman power and I'll be over here.~" He sat back down.

"~I've got a theory. It could be bunnies.~" Anya looked at us as we went quiet. There was a sound of crickets chirping.

"~I've got a th-~"

"~Bunnies aren't just cute like everybody supposes!~" Anya cut her off and there were concert lights and electric guitars could be heard. "~They got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses. And what's with all the carrots? What do they need such good eyesight for anyway~?~" The ex-demon sang and danced. "~Bunnies, bunnies. It must be bunnies!~" There was an explosion of fireworks before every thing went back to normal. "~Or maybe midgets.~"

"~I've got a theory, we should work this fa~ast.~" Willow took a seat next to Pops while opening up a book as Giles leaned over and put his glasses on.

"~Because it clearly could get serious before it's passed.~" Pops and Willow sang.

"~I've got a theory, it doesn't matt~er.~" Buffy got everyone's attention.

"~What can't we face if we're together?~" I asked as Buffy crossed her arms.

"~What's in this place that we can't weather?~" The Slayer and I sang together. "~Apocalypse? We've all been there.~"

"~The same old trips....~"

"~Why should we care?~"

"~What can't we do if we get in it?~" Every one sang. "~We'll work it through within a minute.~" Pops then joined in. "~We have to try. We'll pay the price. It's do or die.~"

"~Hey, I've died twice.~" Buffy made us chuckle.

"~What can't we face if we're together?~" Everyone rose to their feet.

"~What can't we face-~" Pops sang.

"~What's in this place that we can't weather?~"

"~When we're together?~"

"~There's nothing we can't face.~"

"~Except for bunnies.~" Anya sat back down as the music died.

"See? Okay, that was disturbing." Xander plopped back into his seat.

"I thought it was neat." Willow smiled as she and Tara sat.

"So what is it? What's causing it?" Buffy asked.

"I thought it didn't matter." Pops looked confused as he leaned on the table.

"Well, I'm not exactly quaking in my stylish-yet-affordable boots, but there's definitely something unnatural going on here."

"And that doesn't usually lead to kittens and puppies." I crossed my arms.

"Well, is it just us? I-is it only happening to just us?" Anya asked and Buffy went to go look outside. "Because that would probably mean a spell." As soon as Buffy opened the door, I could hear music again.

"~They got....the mustard....o~u~t~!"

"~They got the mustard ou~t~!"

"It's not just us." Buffy said as she closed the door and looked at us.

"Oh, my God. You will never believe what happened at school today." Dawn entered the shop with a big smile on her face.

"Everybody started singing and dancing?" I asked.

"I gave birth to a pterodactyl."

"What?" I looked up at her.

"Oh, my God. Did it sing?" Anya asked.

"So, you guys too, huh?" Dawn questioned while walking to the counter. Willow and Tara were busy whispering into each others ears and I gave them privacy by not paying attention to what they were saying.

"So what'd you sing about?" Xander asked.

"Math." Dawn replied while putting down her backpack.

"Th-that's right." Tara spoke up. "Th-the volume. The text."

"What text?" Pops looked at them with a confused expression.

"The volume-y text." Willow waved a hand.

"You know." Tara smiled.

"The-" Willow mumbled. "report."

"The what now?" Xander looked at them.

"Oh, th-there's just a few volumes back at the house that deal with mystical chants, bacchanals. Might be relevant." Tara waved a hand.

"Yeah, we could um...." Willow pointed at herself and Tara.

"Uh, yes. I'm a hairsbreadth from investigating bunnies at the moment, so I'm open to anything." Pops took off his glasses.

"Great. We'll, um, check it out, and, um, we'll give you a call." Willow closed the book in front of her.

"Yeah. This could blow the whole thing wide open." Tara smiled while pulling Willow by the hand out the door.

"I bet they're not even working." Xander said after a while.

"Who now?" Buffy asked as I reached for another book.

"Willow and Tara. You see the way they were with each other?" He looked at us while Pops came back from refilling his coffee. "The get-a-roominess of them? I bet they're-" Xander cut himself off when he looked at Dawn as she was busy doing her homework. "Singing. They're probably singing right now."

"I'm sure Willow and Tara are making every effort." Pops said.

"Oh, yeah." The younger human male nodded.

"Xander." Buffy and I looked at him.

"Guys, it's okay. I do know about this stuff." We all turned to Dawn and she was smiling. "Besides, it's all kind of romantic."

"No, it's not." That time, Xander and Buffy said the same thing.

"Come on." Dawn paused doing her work. "Songs, dancing around. What's gonna be wrong with that?" She asked.


	53. You are the one that I despise

The following day, everywhere I looked, I saw people singing and dancing. When Buffy and I went on patrol that night, she decided we should split up to prevent another duet from happening. I nodded my head in agreement with her and we then went our separate ways. I decided to go see Spike and find out if he knew anything about all this musical crap going on since he had connections in the demon community.

Pushing open his crypt door, I saw the vampire climbing up the ladder in the hole in the ground.

"The sun sets, and she appears." He stood there with a bottle of alcohol in his hand. "Come to serenade me?"

"So you already know what's going on?"

"Well, I've seen some damn funny things the last two days." The bleached blonde walked away from the hole and I closed the crypt door behind me. "A 600 pound Chrirago Demon making like Yma Sumac. That one'll stay with you." He raised his brows. "I remain immune, happy too say. Drink?" He held up the green bottle.

"No." I sat down. "Got any idea on what's causing this?" Spike looked away while nodding.

"Oh. So that's all. You've just come to pump me for information." He turned back to me while dropping the drink to his side.

"What else would I want to pump you for?" I asked, then realized how that came out. "I really just said that, didn't I?"

"Yeah, well," Spike sighed while putting the alcohol down. "don't want to bore you with the small talk." He walked to the door and held it open while looking at me. "Don't know a thing."

"Something wrong? You're all bad moody." I questioned while narrowing my eyes and he shrugged one shoulder.

"It's nothing. Glad you could stop by." The vampire gestured to the door and I gave him a look. "It's nothing." He furrowed his brows.

"Spike, what?" Raising my eyebrows at him, I knew something was up. My gut told me so.

"~ _I died....~_ " The bleached blonde gave a confused look for a second before looking so 'done'. "~ _So many years ago, but you can make me feel like it isn't so.~_ " Rolling my eyes as I glanced away, I shifted in my seat. _'He doesn't have a bad voice....'_ I thought. "~ _And why you come to be with me, I think I finally know. Mm-hmm.~_ " He closed the crypt door and I looked back at him. "~ _You're scared, ashamed of what you feel. And you can't tell the ones you love, you know they couldn't deal.~_ " Spike began to walk towards me. "~ _A whisper in a dead man's ear-it doesn't make it real.~_ " He put two fingers to his head and I looked away again.

"~ _That's great. But I don't wanna play,~_ " The vampire walked past me and turned back when he stood near the concrete coffin. "~' _cause being with you touches me, more than I can say. And since I'm only dead to you I'm saying stay away~.~_ " He hopped up on the coffin and laid down in a crucified position. "~ _And let me rest in peace. Let me rest in peace!~_ " He hopped back up while looking at me. "~ _Let me get some sleep! Let me take my love and bury it in a hole six-foot deep!~_ " Spike grabbed the green bottle of booze and tossed it at the wall. Rising to my feet, the glass shattered and fell to the ground.

"~ _I can lay my body down, but I can't find my sweet rele~ase.~_ " The vampire stepped towards me as I stepped back. "~ _So let me rest in peace.~_ " He turned away and I went for the door. "~ _You know....~_ " Spike stopped me. "~ _you got a willin' slave.~_ " The bleached blonde man went to his knees in front of me. "~ _And you just love to play the thought that you might misbehave.~_ " He looked down my body and I rolled my eyes. "~ _But till you do, I'm tellin you-stop visiting my gra~ave!~_ " He stood back up. "~ _And let me rest in peace!~_ " Spike swung open the crypt door, and the next thing I knew, we were out in the graveyard.

"~ _I know....I should go, but I follow you like a man possessed.~_ " Walking next to him, his singing had calmed in volume. Up ahead, I could see a funeral procession. "~ _There's a traitor here beneath my breast, and it hurts me more than you've ever guessed.~_ " Spike glanced back at me. "~ _If my heart could beat, it would break my chest.~_ " He smacked a hand over his heart before turning to me. "~ _But I can see you're unimpressed. So leave me be,~_ " The vampire waved a hand before jumping onto the wooden casket the humans were carrying. "~ _and let me rest in peace! Let me get some sleep!~_ " The people dropped the casket and Spike rolled off of it.

"~ _Let me take my love and bury it in a hole six-foot deep!~_ " He sang as his face went demonic and he began to terrorize the funeral. "~ _I can lay my body down, but I can't find my sweet rele~ase!~_ " The bleached blonde was tossing around chairs as the people ran screaming. When he grabbed the priest, I yanked him back and we ended up falling into the hole meant for the casket. "~ _Let me rest in peace! Why won't you let me rest in peace?!~_ " Looking down at him, I couldn't understand what this weird feeling in my gut and my head was. Confusion, maybe? I wasn't sure, but it felt pretty foreign.

Furrowing my brows, I pulled myself off of him and climbed out of the hole as fast as I could. Once I was out, I ran.

"So, you're not staying then?" I heard Spike ask as I rushed off.

~

After finding Buffy, I told her that I didn't find anything to slay in the cemetery and she said the same thing. We decided to just head back to the Magic Box and let off some steam. Buffy went to the back to train with Pops while I hit the books again. I sat at the table while going through the books and texts covering anything this musical stuff might be in.

Willow was getting more books while Xander was restocking the shelves. I think Tara came in at one point, but I was too far into the book I had. I didn't get pulled out of the research until Buffy came back from the training room.

"Hey, uh, Buffy?" I looked at her as she stood next to Willow.

"What is it, Aud?"

"You, uh, didn't happen to maybe sing a hint as to what might be causing this when we were patrolling, did you?"

"No, sorry, no singing this time at all." She shook her head. Sighing, I was about to go back to the books when the front door swung open.

"Looky-looky what I found." We all looked to the door to see Spike holding onto a guy with a wooden puppet head.

"Is this the demon guy?" Tara asked.

"Tara." Willow looked at her, but she was ignored by the witch.

"Works for him. Has a nice little story for the Slayer, don't you?" The vampire looked at the puppet looking guy while I put my hands into my back pockets and Buffy crossed her arms. "Come on, then. Sing." He pushed the suited thing forward and as he took a deep breath, the sounds of an orchestra began. But as soon as he started talking, it stopped.

"My master has the Slayer's sister hostage at _The Bronze_ because she summoned him, and at midnight, he's going to take her to the underworld to be his queen."

"What does he want?" Pops asked.

"Her." He pointed a wooden finger at Buffy. Spike scoffed while walking up behind him.

"If that's all you've got to say then-" He was cut off when he put a hand on the puppet's shoulder due to him being pushed down. The puppet then ran out the door. "Strong. Someday he'll be a real boy."

"So, Dawn's in trouble." Buffy said while looking to the open door. "Must be Tuesday."

"I-I just left her for a few minutes." Tara stated.

"Oh, it's not your fault. So what's the plan?" Buffy turned to look at all of us.

"Plan schman. Let's mount up." Xander shifted on his feet.

"No." Pops glanced at the other human male.

"Uh, Dawn may have had the wrong idea in summoning this creature, but I've seen some of these underworld child-bride deals." Anya said and I felt antsy. _'Come on, let's just go save Dawn!'_ "And they never end well. Well, maybe once." She added.

"We're not just gonna stay here." Willow furrowed her brows.

"Yes, we are." Pops stepped up. "Buffy's going alone."

"Like Hell she is." I gave Giles a look.

"Don't be a stupid git. There is-"

"If I want your opinion, Spike, I'll-" He cut himself off. "I'll never want your opinion."

"A-A little confusion spell could-"

"No!" Tara raised her voice. "I mean, I don't think it'll help."

"Forget them, guys, I got your backs." Spike waved a hand as he looked back at Buffy and I.

"I thought you wanted me to stay away from you." I said lowly. "Isn't that what you sang?" Buffy glanced at me as I was looking at the vampire. She was probably wondering when that could of happened, but it seemed to dawn on her as she looked away.

"Spike sang a wittle song?" Xander asked.

"Would you say it was a breakaway pop hit or more of a book number?" Anya looked at me.

"Let it go, sweetie." Xander turned to her.

"Fine." Spike clenched his jaw. "I hope you two dance till you burn. You and the little bit." He walked past me and left. I shifted on my feet before glancing up at everyone.

"You're really not coming?"

"It's up to you, Buffy." Pops stood in front of the Slayer.

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Your best." He told her. Buffy grabbed her coat and went out the door. I just gave Pops a look and shook my head while walking away. Catching up to Buffy, I saw the streets in chaos as things were burning and people were dancing. Looking at her, I didn't really know what to say. I think she got that because there was this look in her eyes as she turned to a barrel with things burning in it.

"~ _I touch the fire and it freezes me....~_ " Buffy sang as she reached out to the fire.

"~ _I look into it and it's black....~_ " My voice wasn't as high as hers, but the mix of our voices was compatible and nice on the ears.

"~ _Why can't I feel?~_ "

"~ _My skin should crack and peel....~_ "

"~ _I want the fire back.~_ " We sang together. "~ _Now through the smoke, she calls to me-to make our way across the flame.~_ "

"~ _To save the day-~_ " Buffy began to walk through the streets to the _Bronze_.

"~ _Or maybe melt away.~_ " I followed as I put my hands into my jacket pocket.

"~ _I guess it's all the same.~_ " Buffy and I sang. "~ _So we will walk through the fire 'cause where else can we turn? We will walk through the fire and let it-~_ "

"~ _So one by one, they turn from me.~_ " We sang as we glanced at each other. "~ _I guess our friends can't face the cold.~_ " Buffy held out her hand and I took it as we walked down the dark street. "~ _But why we froze, not one among them knows- and never can be told.~_ "

"~ _Going through the motions.~_ " Buffy sang.

"~ _These endless days are finally ending in a blaze.~_ " I sang.

"~ _And we are caught in the fire-the point of no return. So we will walk through the fire and let it bu~urn. Let it bu~urn.~_ " I could see the light on the sign from the club called Bronze. "~ _Let it bu~urn. Let it burn!~_ " The singing stopped as Buffy and I kicked the door down together. It flew back out of it's frame and I heard a chuckle inside.

"Showtime." Following the Slayer inside, we saw a red demon dressed in a blue suit sitting next to dawn on stage. "I love a good entrance."

"How are you with death scenes?" Buffy asked and he chuckled.

"You got a name?" I questioned.

"I've got a hundred." He replied while Buffy leaned on the pool table. I stood next to her and crossed my arms.

"Well, we ought to know what to call you if you're gonna be the brother-in-law." The short blonde tilted her head.

"Buffy, Aud, I swear I didn't do it." Dawn pleaded.

"Don't worry."

"You're not going anywhere." I stated.

"I am."

"What?" Dawn and I looked at Buffy.

"Deal's this- I can't kill you, you take me to Hellsville in her place."

"Buffy!" I fully faced her.

"What if I kill you?"

"Trust me, won't help."

"Yeah, 'cause I'll kill you." Flashing my fangs at him, I felt my tail grow out.

"Hmm, that's gloomy." He looked at us.

"That's life." Buffy said flatly.

"Come now. Is that really what you feel?" The demon shifted in the pale blue chair. "Isn't life a miraculous thing?" He waved a hand.

"I think you already know." Buffy and I ended up saying at the same time. I was beginning to realize how weird that was after all the duets we had been doing the past few days.

"~ _Life's a show and we all play our pa~arts.~_ " The Slayer sang. "~ _And when the music sta~arts....~_ "

"~ _We open up our hea~rts.~_ " I finished as she slipped her long coat off.

"~ _It's all right if some things come out wrong.~_ "

"~ _We'll sing a happy song.~_ " I joined the Slayer as she sang and stepped forward.

"~ _And you can sing along.~_ " I sent a glare to the demon after seeing the puppets grabbing pool cues.

"~ _Where there's life, there's hope.~_ " She blocked a puppet's strike while hitting back.

"~ _Every day's a gift. Wishes can come true.~_ " I fought back against the puppet demons while cracking a pool cue over one of their heads.

"~ _Whistle while you work so hard all day to be like other girls.~_ "

"~ _To fit in this glittering world.~_ " I looked back at the red demon as the puppets were down.

"~ _Don't give us songs. Don't give us songs.~_ " Buffy and I stood side-by-side. "~ _Give us something to sing about.~_ " I heard Anya and Tara behind us, vocalizing as we stepped towards the stage. "~ _We need something to sing about.~_ " We all swayed our hips before stepping to the side as Tara and Anya sang. We then began to dance in a synchronized fashion.

"~ _Life's a song you don't get to rehearse.~_ " Buffy sang.

"~ _And every single ve~rse can make it that much worse.~_ " I stayed by Buffy while the girls backed off.

"~ _Still our friends don't know why we ignore the million things or more,~_ " The two of us spun back to the middle of the floor. "~ _we should be dancing for_.~"

"~ _All the joy life sends-~_ " Buffy began.

"~ _Family and friends.~_ " I finished.

"~ _All the twists,~_ "

"~ _And bends-~_ "

"~ _Knowing that it ends.~_ " We both sang. "~ _Well, that depends on if they let you go.~_ " The Slayer and I looked at the guys standing by the wall. 

"~ _On if they know enough to know....~_ " Buffy went up the steps to the stage.

"~ _That when you've bowed, you leave the crowd.~_ " I followed while walking beside her.

"~ _There was no pain....~_ " Her voice went softer.

"~ _No fear, no doubt....~_ " My mouth moved as I got the feeling of what was coming next and I couldn't stop it.

"~ _Til they pulled us out....of Heaven.~_ " The Slayer and I looked back at the guys as we both sang.

"~ _So that's our refrain.~_ " I let my hands drop limply to my sides.

"~ _We live in hell 'cause we've been expelled,~_ " Buffy continued as everyone got these looks on their faces.

"~ _From heaven.~_ " I joined back in with the short blonde. "~ _We think we were in Heaven. So give us something to sing about!~_ "

"~ _Please give me something!~_ " Buffy turned back to the demon and he waved a finger at me. Flipping off the stage, my body began to move against my will. I danced as I mentally shouted at my limbs to stop. Sliding on my knees, I got further from the stage as the demonic music just wouldn't cease.

Getting back to my feet, the music got faster as I danced and spun. I could feel my body growing hotter as smoke began to come off my skin. Seeing a blur of the demon, he was grinning as Buffy had this look of horror on her face. _'Guess he's givin' her something to sing about.'_ I thought. _'Fuckin great.'_

"~ _Life's not a song.~_ " Spike grabbed my shoulders, stopping me in my tracks. "~ _Life isn't bliss.~_ " He shook his head. "~ _Life is just this. It's living.~_ " The vampire brushed some of my hair behind my ear. "~ _You'll get along. The pain that you feel, you only can heal by living. You have to go on living. So one of us is living.~_ " He gave a small, soft smile.

" _'The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.'_ Buffy told me that." Dawn looked at her sister and then me. The demon clapped before gesturing.

"Now, that was a show-stopping number. Not quite the fireworks that I was looking for-"

"Get out of here." Willow cut him off while her cheeks were stained with tears.

"Hmm, I smell power." He looked at the redheaded witch. "I guess the little missus and I should be on our way." He stood up.

"That's never gonna happen." Pops stepped forward as Buffy stood in his way.

"I don't make the rules." The red demon chuckled. "She summoned me."

"I so did not. He keeps saying that." Dawn looked at her sister.

"You have my talisman on, sweet thing." He sat on the arm of her seat while pointing to her necklace.

"Oh, but, no. I-I, um-" She turned from the demon while glancing at Buffy. "This- At the Magic Box, on the floor- I was-I was cleaning and I forgot-" Dawn looked from the red man to everyone else. "But I didn't summon anything."

"Well, now, that's a twist." He said after stroking his chin.

"If it was in the shop, then one of us probably...." Pops trailed off while looking at each of us until Xander slowly raised his hand.

"Xander!" Anya gave a look.

"Well, I didn't know what was gonna happen. I just thought there were gonna be dances and songs." The human defended himself. "I just wanted to make sure we'd-we'd work out." He smiled while moving his hands as he talked. "Get a happy ending."

"I think everything worked out just fine." The demon on stage chuckled.

"Does this mean that I have to...." Xander trailed off while pointing. He swallowed before continuing. "Be your queen?"

"It's tempting," He waved a hand. "but I think we'll waive the clause just this once." Xander looked as if a weight lifted off his shoulders. "Big smiles, everyone. You beat the bag guy." The demon smiled while raising his hands. He spun in a circle before looking at us. "~ _What a lot of fun- You guys have been real swell.~_ " He gestured a red hand at us. "~ _And there's not a one who can say this ended well.~_ " He spun to the other side of the stage.

"~ _All those secrets you've been concealing, say you're happy now, once more with feeling.~_ " The demon sang. "~ _Now I gotta run. See you all,~_ " He raised his hands up high. "~ _i~in He~ll!~_ " The demon went up on a poof of blue smoke and red lights. There was silence as everyone just stood there. The guys now knew why Buffy and I were so off, and there was no way to take back what we had sung.

"~ _Where do we go from here?~_ " Dawn walked towards her sister on the stage. Her and Buffy came down the stairs as everyone started to sing again.

"~ _Where do we go from here?~_ " Glancing up at Spike, I saw him looking at me and I looked away.

"~ _The battle's done and we kinda won.~_ " Pops put his hands into his pockets.

"~ _So we sound our victory cheer. Where do we go from here?~_ " Giles and Tara sang.

"~ _Why is the path unclear,~_ " Anya and Xander walked towards each other while everyone made their way to the middle of the floor. "~ _when we know home is near?~_ " We all stood in a line as we sang together.

"~ _Understand, we'll go hand in hand-~_ " I put my hand in Spike's and it was a chain reaction from there until Tara held Willow's hand. "~ _But we'll walk alone in fear.~_ " Everyone spread out as we took away our hands.

"~ _Tell me-~_ " Pops sang.

"~ _Where do we go from here?~_ " We looked around before all facing the stage. "~ _When does the end appear?~_ " We raised an arm in an arch form.

"Bugger this." I heard Spike scoff.

"~ _When do the trumpets cheer?~_ " Turning to the front door, I went after him on a strange impulse. "~ _The curtains close on a kiss-~_ " They sang as I hurried out.

"Hey." I called and the vampire stopped. Sighing, he turned around.

"You should go back inside," He waved a hand at the club. "finish the big group sing, get your kumbayayas out." The bleached blonde said as I could faintly hear the guys singing.

"What if I don't want to?" I shifted on my feet while putting my hands into my back pockets. I partly noticed that I was doing that a lot lately....

"The day you suss out what you do want, there'll probably be a parade." Spike waved his hand again. "Seventy-six bloody trombones."

"Spike-"

"Look, you don't have to say anything."

"~ _I touch the fire and it freezes me....~_ " Stepping towards him, he began to sing as well.

"~ _I died-~_ "

"~ _I look into it and it's black.~_ "

"~ _So many years ago....~_ " The vampire was walking towards me and I was getting that strange feeling again.

"~ _Why can't I feel? My skin should crack and peel....~_ "

"~ _But you can make me feel....~_ " He was standing so close to me and for some reason my heart was pounding. The bleached blonde bent down and kissed me....and....I didn't care. I didn't think it was gross or even mind it. Honestly....I liked it. My lips began to move in sync with his as his cold hands grabbed my shoulders and I could feel my tail curling from one side to the other as Spike held me close to him.


	54. You are the light, I'm the vampire (vampire)

Walking through the cemetery, I was helping Buffy patrol while she was taking one side and I took the other so that we could cover more ground. I felt a presence behind me and smelt the scent of a vampire. Swiftly turning around, I raised the stake in my hand, but stopped when I saw who it was.

"Can we talk?" Spike asked as I lowered the sharpened piece of wood in my hand.

"Vocal-chord wise? Yes. With each other? No." Turning, I then started to walk away.

"We have to talk." Sighing, I stopped in my tracks.

"About what?" I asked while keeping my back to him.

"We kissed, Aud."

"So?" Clearing my throat, I continued to walk.

"We-We _kissed._ " The vampire began to follow me. "You and me. All _Gone With the Wind_ , with the rising music and the rising....music. And what was that, Aud?"

"A spell?" I asked while looking over my shoulder.

"Oh, don't get all prim and proper on me." Spike stood in front of me, stopping me from walking. "I know what kind of girl you really are." Shifting on my feet, I looked at him. "Don't I?"

"What we did is done." I said. "But I will never kiss you, Spike, never touch you ever, ever again." Shaking my head, I suddenly saw a stake flying at Spike. Tackling him to the ground, the weapon missed and got stuck in a tree. Looking up, I saw two vampires and a shark-like demon. "Okay, now it's never again."

"Now, easy, boys." The blue-grey demon raised his hands. "No need to get physical, eh?" Getting to my feet, I dusted off my knees. "Is there, Mr. Spike?"

"You know this shark?" I asked while raising a brow.

"Yeah. What do you want?"

"Uh, me? Uh, there are a lot of things I would like, Mr. Spike." He strolled over and pulled the stake out of the tree with a grunt. "A house in Bel Air with a generously sized swimming pool, and, of course, the 40 Siamese that you owe me." The demon dropped his voice while tossing an arm around the bleached blonde.

"Take it easy. You'll get your kittens." _'Of course.... Damn kitten poker, it's always about kitten poker.'_ I thought while crossing my arms.

"Oh, I trust you, Mr. Spike."

"Oh, cheeses. What is it with you guys? Why kittens of all things?" I asked and the shark demon looked at me. "Why can't you just use money like everybody else, or candy like the kids?"

"She's funny." The demon in the plum suit chuckled while turning to Spike. "I like funny in a girl." My tail twitched as I rolled my eyes.

"I just need a little more time."

"Oh, time, time- time is what turns kittens into cats. Look, I don't want to see anyone get hurt. Boys." He said while turning away. His vampire lackeys came at us and I punched one back by giving a solid hit to the gut.

"Then you better go blind." Pushing Spike back with my tail, I knocked the other vampire down before twirling the stake in my hand. "Wanna keep going?" I asked.

"I said she was the Slayer's pet, boss." One of the vampires said as my tail swayed.

"Ah, good for you." The shark demon began to pace. "Pet to the Vampire Slayer."

"Not her pet." I crossed my arms.

"Have you ever given any thought to, uh, freelance work? A little debt collecting, perhaps?" He chuckled.

"I'll pass."

"Boss, he's gone. Spike split." One of the vampires sighed. Turning around, I saw that he really was gone. _'That son of a bitch....'_ I mentally growled.

"Ah, well, that's what I get for socializing. All right, come on, boys. We'll locate Mr. Spike and, uh, _talk_ to him a little more." The shark guy said while fixing his tie. "Oh, it was a genuine pleasure." He sort of bowed before snarling with a little growl. I sighed while shaking my head.

"If I would just stop saving his ass, it would make things so much simpler."

~

Restocking the shelves behind the counter, Pops was talking to Buffy in the back of the shop. I already knew what he was telling her, he already told me. He was going to tell us both at the same time, but thought against it since that would mean he'd have an upset Slayer and half-demon to deal with at once. So, I was the first he told that he was going back to England.

"So, what do we got?" Dawn asked when she and Tara arrived and Pops and Buffy were done talking.

"Sorry?" Pops looked up while Anya and Tara were thumb wrestling.

"What kind of ooglie-booglies?" Dawn continued as I replaced empty jars and fixed the displayed items behind the register. "Lizard-y types or, um, zombies or-or vampires or what?"

"There are no ooglie-booglies, Dawn." Pops stated while cleaning his glasses.

"Thanks for the jacket. It's cold out there." Willow said as she came in with Xander.

"Not a problem. The cold only makes me stronger and more macho-like." He replied and Pops rose to his feet.

"I'm glad you're here. Um...." Pops glanced at Buffy and I while putting his hands into his pockets. "I have something I really have to tell you all. Um, I know it feels like we've been through this before."

"Why don't you just jump to the chase?" Buffy stood up off the metal stairs. "Tell them that you're-"

"Buffy." I cut her off. "Just let him-" I was interrupted by the front door bursting open and it being slammed shut. I could tell it was a vampire from the smoke coming off the brown suit.

"Spike?" Pops raised a brow at him.

"Holy moly." Anya said as I burst into laughter at how ridiculous he looked with the hat and suit he was wearing.

"You need to give me asylum." Spike said as I had to hold my stomach and put one hand on the counter.

"I'll say." Xander popped off.

"No need to get cute. It's a disguise." He pulled the hat off. "Happens there's a bloke I'd rather not see just now." The vampire walked over and sat on the counter next to the cash register. "Hey, stop laughing." He looked at me and I quickly stood up while covering my grin. "You met him, I believe. Toothy bloke with the baby seal breath."

"Shark dude?" I asked.

"Nasty fellow, him, and ugly too." The vampire nodded. "He's got a mouthful of choppers just waiting to be yanked out and worn as necklaces." There was a pause as I was still snickering. When I was done, I waved a hand.

"Okay, I'm good. I'm good."

"Well, now we've recovered from Spike's sartorial humor, I'll jump....to the case." Pops looked back at Buffy. "Um," He stepped closer to the middle of the room and I began to play with my necklace. "I'm headed back to England, and I plan to stay....indefinitely." Pops sat down next to Anya. I looked down at the ring on the black chain to distract me from everyone's sad looks.

"Now? No now. I mean, not after....everything." Xander said.

"Yes, now."

"For real this time?" Anya asked. "'Cause honest to Pete, a young shopkeeper's heart can only take so much. I mean, not that I want you to go."

"I can't do this." Buffy said while walking away. "I just- I-I need to-"

"Buffy." I called.

"Listen," Willow began. "I know things must be awful for you and Aud, and I-I'm sorry. I-I'm so sorry for what we-"

"'I'm sorry.'" Buffy shook her head. "Everybody's sorry." She tossed her hands up. "I know that you guys are just trying to help, but it's just-it's too much. And-and I-I can't take it anymore." She was near tears. "If you guys....if you guys understood how it felt-how it feels." _'I do.'_ I thought while looking down at my skull ring again. "It's like I'm dying in-"

"Buff....y!" I called as she collapsed, but I was suddenly engulfed with darkness as I hit the floor.

~

"Oaf!" I suddenly woke up as a heavy weight fell on me. Something crashed and there was a feminine scream. Looking up, I saw a bleached blonde man with extremely blue eyes above me. "Um....mind getting off?" I asked when I saw he was staring.

"Oh, yeah." He cleared his throat while nodding. "Of course." He hopped to his feet before offering me a hand to help me up. I took it, feeling his cold skin. _'Jeez, he needs mittens or something.'_ I thought. Looking around, I saw that I was in a strange place with strange faces.

"Who-who are you people?" The young girl asked while cowering against a display case.

"Don't worry." A blonde woman knelt down beside the girl

"Please don't hurt me."

"O-oh, it's okay. I don't know anyone here either." She gave the girl a reassuring smile.

"Yeah? Who are you?"

"I, uh...." She trailed off.

"Okay, who are you freaks?" A brunette man stood up off the ground while pointing.

"You don't know me?" A redhead asked while rising to her feet.

"Not a clue." He waved a hand.

"But you were just all, like, _'Oh, hey.'_ "

"Yeah, 'cause I thought you were a girl and I'd remember, but-" He raised his hands while shrugging.

"Well, I _am_ a girl." She said after grabbing her chest. "I'm not sure who I am exactly, but...." She trailed off.

"Okay, why was I on the ground?" The brunette asked while pointing to the floor."And why are you all staring at me? Is this some kind of psych test? Am I gettin' paid for this?"

"It's not just you." An older man with glasses stood up from a bench at a table. "Does anyone remember anything?"

"Nope." The man in the brown suit next to me sighed.

"Maybe we all got terribly drunk, and this is some sort of blackout." The older male suggested.

"I don't think I drink." The girl crossed her arms.

"I-I don't see any booze. I don't feel any head bumps." Another blonde woman with a flowery shirt said. "I don't see Allen Funt." She added while looking around.

"Who?"

"Okay, I'm not panicking. I'm not. I'm not." The brunette was obviously panicking. "Stop looking at me like I'm panicking."

"H-hey, take it easy, guy." The shorter blonde told him. "O-okay, no one's hurt. Right? An-and none of us look all hatchet-y-murder-y. So we're probably safe here. ....Wherever here is." She added.

"Look at the stuff on these shelves." The redhead looked past me and I turned to see a shelf covered in various objects. "Weird jars of weird stuff. Weird books with weird covers. Like, _'Magic for Beginners'_ \- Oh!" She said after grabbing a book off the counter by a cash register.

"This is a magic shop. A-a real magic shop." A woman with a long coat smiled as she stood up from her chair.

"Well, m-maybe that's it. Maybe something magic happened." The little blonde looked at us.

"Magic?" The older man snickered. "Magic's all balderdash and chicanery. I'm afraid we don't know a bloody thing." He said before making a face. "Except I seem to be British, don't I? A-and a man. With glasses. Well, that narrows it down considerably." He smiled while taking off the glasses.

"I don't like this." The girl looked to the blonde as I checked my gender. _'Hey, gotta know.'_ I thought while grabbing my chest.

"It's okay. Don't worry. We'll take care of each other." The little blonde said as I felt boobs. _'Okay, be double sure.'_ And I put a hand on my crotch. _'Yeah, I'm a female.'_

"We'll get our memory back, and it'll all be right as rain." The British man grinned while looking down at his glasses.

"Oh, listen to Mary Poppins." The man beside me popped off. "He's got his crust all stiff and upper with that nancy-boy accent." He said while also sounding English. "You Englishmen are always so-" He cut himself off while furrowing his brows. "Bloody Hell. Sodding. Blimey. Shagging. Knickers. Bollocks." He said while raising a finger for each phrase. "Oh, God. I'm English."

"Welcome to the nancy tribe." The older male in a dark suit put his glasses back on.

"You don't suppose you and I- We're not related, are we?" The bleached blonde pointed.

"There is a ruggedly handsome resemblance." The floral shirted woman said while looking at the two of them.

"An-and you do inspire a, um, well, a particular feeling of familiarity and....disappointment." He furrowed his brows as the man beside me walked out from behind the counter. "Older brother?" He put a hand on his chest.

"Father." The bleached blonde scoffed. "Oh, God, how I must hate you." The older man looked offended.

"What did I do?"

"There's always something. And what's with the trollop?" He pointed to the woman standing next to him.

"Hey."

"Her?"

"I saw you sleepin' together."

" _Resting_ together." The older man corrected.

"Look! It's okay. We're engaged." She said while showing off a ring on her finger.

"Oh." The older man straightened his tie while smiling.

"It's a lovely ring." She smiled back.

"Oh, great. A tarty stepmom who's half old Daddy's age."

"Tarty?"

"Old? You little twerp. I'm young enough to still get carded."

"Carded! Driver's licenses!" The redhead piped up. She began to look through her pockets and everyone followed suit.

"It's me. Alexander Harris." The brunette man said while looking into a wallet. "Cute picture. Hey, I exist." He smiled while showing off the ID.

"I'm Willow Rosenberg." The redhead chuckled. "Willow. Funny name."

"I think it's pretty." The woman with the long coat smiled.

"What do you got?"

"Tara. A-and look, I'm a student at UC Sunnydale."


	55. Oh, well you know you'll never find an easy way

"Me too. Hey, maybe we're study buddies." The redhead gestured to herself and the other woman.

"I don't have a wallet." The girl said.

"Don't worry. Me neither." The short blonde half shrugged. "But here, look." She grabbed a necklace around the girl's neck. "You're Dawn."

"Or _'Umad.'_ " She giggled.

"I'm, uh, called Rupert Giles." The man with glasses was checking his wallet.

"Rupert." The woman next to him smiled.

"Rupert?" The bleach blonde giggled.

"You're not too old to put across my knee, you know, sonny. Anyway, what did I call you?" Rupert looked at the man in the brown suit.

"Um...." He began to dig in his pockets. When he checked his coat, he found a tag. " _'Made with care for Randy.'_ " He read. " _Randy Giles?_ Why not just call me _Horny_ Giles, or _Desperate-For-A-Shag_ Giles?" Rupert chuckled. "I knew there was a reason I hated you."

"Randy's a family name, undoubtedly."

"Oh, hey, I have a name on my jacket." Willow said as the flower shirted woman walked behind the counter next to me and opened the register with a key. " _'Harris.'_ "

"Harris? That's my last name. Maybe I have a brother, and you go out with him." There was a pause. "Or maybe you go out with me."

"Well, we did wake up all snuggly-wuggly." She replied while folding the jacket into her arms. "Maybe you're my boyfriend."

"Either that, or I got one pissed-off brother out there somewhere."

"I'm Ane-ya!" The woman next to me raised her voice. "Um, this key fits this lock, and the forms next to the cash register say that, uh, Rupert and Ane-ya own the shop together."

"This is _our_ magic shop? Well, that's-that's very, um, uh, progressive of me."

"And I apparently work here." I said while pulling the name tag off my shirt.

"Oh, you do?"

"Uh-oh...." I paused while looking at the name. "Uh, how do you think I fit into this family?" Showing them the tag, I shifted on my feet. "It says I'm called Aud Giles."

"Daughter, maybe?" Ane-ya shrugged.

"No. No, she doesn't sound English." Willow furrowed her brows. "But there's a slight accent- I can hardly hear it."

"If not daughter, how do I have the last name _Giles_?" Raising a brow, I put the name tag back on. All eyes turned to Randy.

"What? You guys think we're...." The bleached blonde pointed and I looked at my hands before I held them up.

"No ring."

"Well, this is oddly confusing." Rupert took his glasses off.

"That wasn't a pun, was it?" I asked.

"Oh, wait!" Ane-ya stepped in front of me. "You're ring's right here." She grabbed a necklace around my neck and held up a black, skeleton ring with tiny skulls surrounding a black stone. "That's really....strange...."

"I think it's badass." I grinned while holding it.

"Hear that, _Rupert_? Badass." Randy nodded while putting his hands onto his hips.

"Well....there is a sense of pride when I look at you." The older man put his glasses back on. "You must be a very diligent worker...."

"So...." I walked over to Randy. "I guess you aren't _'Desperate-For-A-Shag'_ after all." I smiled and he just looked away while clearing his throat.

"Guess not." The bleached blonde smirked as he sat down. Hearing giggling, I looked up to see Dawn and the short blonde who I had heard call herself Joan hugging. "You never showed me affection like that....I'd wager."

"Oh, does Randy have daddy issues?" I chuckled while sitting down next to him.

"No." He quickly said.

"Yeah, uh-huh." Smiling I nudged his shoulder with mine. "That's probably why you bleach your hair. A form of rebellion."

"And you're any different with the silver head?" Randy pointed and I put a hand on my head. I felt a braid and pulled it to where I could see.

"Cool." I said.

"W-we need to figure out what's going on. We need to get help." Joan looked at everyone.

"Looks like Joan fancies herself the boss." Randy popped off.

"We have a kid here-"

"A teenager." Dawn corrected.

"A teenager." Joan nodded. "And we have no idea what's wrong with us. I think a hospital's our best bet."

"Uh, yes. Let's, um, let's head out." Rupert agreed.

"Any suggestions on how we're gonna get there?" Joan asked.

"Dad can drive." Randy looked at the older male as we rose to our feet. "He's bound to have some classic midlife crisis transport." He put a hand on Rupert's shoulder. "Something red, shiny, shaped like a penis." Walking to the door, Joan opened it to a pair of bumpy face men with sharp teeth snarling. We all screamed and ducked away from the door.

"Oh, my God! Did you guys see that?"

"Vampires!" Randy said.

"Maybe it's Halloween." Tara suggested.

"It's doesn't feel like Halloween." Dawn looked around.

"Even if it is, those guys are not kids, and those are definitely not costumes. Randy's right. Looks like we have vampires. And, holey mother of pearl, she's got a tail." Xander pointed at me.

"What? No I don't." I furrowed my brows.

"Yes, you do!" Randy leaned back while looking behind me. "But....I don't feel surprised by that....why don't I feel surprised by that?"

"Holy shit!" I said while looking behind me. "Whoa...." Watching it sway around, I looked back at everyone. "Did you guys know?" They looked at each other, then at me.

"I don't seem surprised either." Rupert furrowed his brows. "Does anyone else?" They all shook their heads and I could feel the tail twitching.

"Slayer!" There was banging on the door.

"Okay, doors." Willow said and I felt my mouth and ears tingling. "We need to check to see if there's other doors, a-and make sure they're locked, and then put large objects in front of them." Willow and Alexander left to go find all the doors in the shop.

"Monsters are real. Did we know this?" Joan asked.

"I don't know, but we n-need our memories back."

"Probably, you know, since I have a tail." I shrugged.

"We have to get to the hospital." Tara looked at us.

"As, uh, proprietor of a magic shop, I propose we fight them. We can use things here in the shop, you know, magic tricks or whatever." Rupert suggested as the banging continued.

"Send out Spike!"

"They seem to want spikes." I looked at everyone with furrowed eyebrows.

"Oh!" Randy crawled away and came back a second later with a bunch of wooden stakes. "Let's give 'em these."

"Oh, well done."

"But wait, what are they going to do with them?"

"Slayer, come out and play!"

" _'Slay her.'_ " Tara pointed. "That's just what they said before. Th-they're gonna use the spikes to-"

"To slay someone?" Joan asked and I felt hungry. "A female someone. Who do those jerks think they are?"

"Bloodsuckers." Ane-ya stated. "They kill by sucking blood. Take it easy, Joan." My stomach growled, bringing attention back to me.

"Sorry, I seem to be extremely hungry."

"Oh! Oh, I know what you are!" Dawn pointed.

"What?"

"You're-you're ears, they're all pointy and so are you're teeth-"

"Plus, you got a tail."

"I think you might be a werewolf!"

"Uh....doubt it. Tail's striped and more....monkey-ish? Cat-ish?" I glanced back at it.

"You guys!"

"There's a trap door in the basement." Willow and Alexander came back. "It seems to lead to the sewer."

"Let's go." Ane-ya whisper-yelled. A vampire broke through the window and we ran screaming the other way. Another bloodsucker burst through the door. Harris fell to his knees with his hands together.

"Hey, I'm not sure what I am, so bear with me here. Now I lay me down to sleep, uh,-" He then began speak another language as a vampire grabbed Joan.

"Joan!" I called and the other one grabbed Randy while slamming him against a bookcase.

"You owe us!"

"Fine. Take your damn spikes." He tossed down all the wooden stakes he had.

"Don't be stupid!" He pushed randy back onto the bookcase.

"Get your hands off me, you son of a-!" Joan was cut off by the vampire covering her mouth. I don't know why, but I got the feeling she could handle herself.

"I said, you owe us."

"Who, me?"

"You've got the boss's kittens."

"I'll give you kittens!" I growled while jumping onto the vampire's back. Hearing Joan fighting behind me, I instinctively bit down into the bloodsucker's shoulder. He shouted in pain while trying to pull me off his back.

"Get off me, you crazy animal!"

"I. Am. Not. An. Animal!" I snarled while jerking the vampire's head different ways, making him run around in circles until he fell down. I saw my nails turn into claws as my fingertips tingled, and I then just ripped off his head, turning him to dust.

"I think I know why Joan's the boss. I'm like a superhero or something." Joan said as I rose to my feet over the pile of ash.

"So....that make me your sidekick?" I raised a brow.

"You gotta little...." Ane-ya pointed to my face. "A lotta...." Wiping my face with my arm, I saw a bunch of blood. Alexander fainted and Joan gave me a look.

"Partner more likely." Joan nodded as I cleaned the rest of the blood off of my face.

~

"Okay, I've got a plan." Joan said after looking out the window.

"I'm all ears." Xander said now that he had woken up.

"They seem to want Randy, and I seem to be pretty strong while Aud is....Aud." The short blonde pointed and I felt my tail twitch. "So, you guys get to the hospital. Randy, Aud, and I'll give the monsters a run for their money."

"That's your plan?"

"Yes."

"It's a great plan." I nodded while smiling, and Joan just kind of stared at my teeth. "Sorry." Covering my mouth, I hid my fangs.

"Right." Randy nodded.

"I'm not leaving the shop." Ane-ya said. "I have to protect the cash register and....do some spells."

"Oh, well, magic might help. It's worth a shot." Rupert nodded.

"All right, you work on that then. We need to go. Ready, Randy, Aud?"

"Ready, Joan." The bleached blonde and I said at the same time.

"Um, s-s-son?" Rupert spoke up as we were going towards the door. "Come here, um, please."

"Oh, uh...."

"Yes, um...." And they awkwardly hugged while patting each other on the back.

"Right." Randy backed off.

"Good, then." Rupert waved a hand. Following Joan out the door, we pushed through the crowd of vampires and ran. Turning when I didn't feel the bleached blonde's presence behind me, I shouted.

"Randy!"

"Hey! I'm a superhero too!" He grinned after punching a vampire yards back. Joan grabbed my hand and ran away screaming after seeing Randy's face look like the vampires'.

"Aud, Joan, where are you going?" Joan let go off my hand when we hit the houses in the town as she continued to run and I just started walking. For some reason I just wasn't as scared as she seemed to be.

"Joan! Come on, you don't have to run!" She wouldn't listen and kept on going. "We're plenty far away!" I sighed.

"Wait up!" I heard Randy call before a hand touched my shoulder. Flipping the vampire over into a lawn, I pinned him down. "Oh, bloody Hell! What are you doing?"

"You don't know who you are." I stated when I realized he hadn't a clue about his current condition. _'Explains the coldness though.'_

"Right. None of us do." Randy looked up at me as my necklace dangled down and my braid hung over my shoulder. "And we're being chased by-"

"You're a vampire." I cut him off as he was pointing the way we had come from.

"How can you say-" The bleached blonde looked confused. "I? Me, a vampire? No."

"Check the face and the teeth." Watching him feel his forehead and teeth, I sat back while straddling him as he checked his pulse.

"I kill your kind."

"And I think I bite yours. So, how come I don't want to bite you?" He propped himself up on his elbows as he looked at me. "And why am I fighting other vampires? I must be a noble vampire. A good guy on a mission of redemption. I help the helpless." He scoffed. "I'm a vampire with a soul."

"A vampire with a soul?" I paused. "Maybe we're both in Joan's team." Getting off him, I helped him to his feet. He then began to pace back and forth on the lawn as he talked.

"I'm a hero, really. I mean, to be cast such an ugly lot in life and then to rise above it, to seek out better, nobler things-it's inspirational, really." He pointed at me. "And the three of us- apparently natural enemies- thrown together to stand against the forces of darkness with Joan. A lot of trust." He pointed. "No thought of me biting you. No thought of you staking me."

"Depends on how long you keep on yapping."

"Well, it's obvious we don't want to. I got you the ring, didn't I? And you're wearing it."

"Touche." I crossed my arms as my tail began to sway. Hearing snarling, I turned to see a group of vampires walking towards us.

Fighting, I couldn't remember if I had any real combat skills, so I just relied on my instincts. I found that my body seemed to now how to protect itself with the way it blocked and hit the vampires. Even my tail was used as I fought back, which I discovered was prehensile when it grabbed a bloodsucker by the leg.

"Oh! Let go! Let go!" I shouted while running in a circle as my tail drug a vampire behind me. "Get it off! Get it off!"

"Aud, just let him go!"

"Randy, get him off me!" I ran towards the bleached blonde as the vampire behind me was shouting at me and hitting his head on rocks. Randy grabbed me while staking the vampire, then let me go as the bloodsucker turned to dust.

"There, he's gone."

"Tha- Oh, shit!" I quickly ducked as another vampire swung at me. Seeing an opening, I came back up and staked the undead creature. Suddenly, I paused as my head began to fill with memories. A fist filled my field of vision as I was knocked back onto my ass. Looking up at the stars, the memories just kept coming.

"From dust....to dust." I heard Spike say as he staked two of the undead.

"You're an odd duck, Mr. Spike." I heard the shark demon's voice. "Fighting your own kind, palling around with the Slayer and her pet, and, oh, that suit!" Furrowing my brows as I stared at the sky, I remembered how I died. "Chutzpah must be your middle name. Uh, hey, look, uh, about our little debt problem, it's okay. I don't need the kittens."

"You'll get paid. I'm no welcher."

"Right. Sure. You're good for it. I know that." The shark chuckled. "I'm just going to, uh- Yeah. Ahem." And I heard him walk away. Remembering Heaven as Spike held a hand out to me, I felt the same confusion and pain as I did when I was brought back to life.

"You all right?" The vampire asked, but I simply got up, ignoring him as I walked away.

~

"~ _A lot of things I believed in, and just wanna get it over with.~_ " The woman on stage sang. "~ _Tears form behind my eyes, but I do not cry. Countin' the days that pass me by.~_ " I sat alone at a table in _The_ _Bronze_ , just thinking about everything as I listened to the music. "~ _I've been searchin' deep down in my soul. Words that I'm hearin' are starting to get old.~_ " I would have been with Buffy, but she was off dealing in her own way since the death and afterlife memories were also fresh on her mind.

"~ _Feels like I'm startin' all over again-the last three yeas were just pretend. And I said good-bye to yo~u! Good-bye to everything that I kne~w! You were the one that I loved. The one thing that I tried to hold on to.~_ " Sighing, I ran my hands through my hair. I would do nearly anything to just shut up these thoughts running through my head for even just a second. "~ _I used to get lost in your eyes. It seems that I can't live a day without you. Closing my eyes and you chase my thoughts away to a place where I am blinded by the light. But it's not right. Good-bye to yo~u! Good-bye to everything that I kne~w! You were the one I loved. The one thing that I tried to hold on to.~_ "

Glancing up, I saw Spike looking down at me. He had this face like he wanted to say something, but didn't know what. I turned my head away, not wanting to really talk. The bleached blond then walked away and I couldn't help but look back up.

"~ _It hurts to want everything and nothin' at the same time. I want what's yours and I want what's mine.~_ " Rising to my feet, I went after the vampire. "~ _I want you, but I'm not givin' in this time! Good-bye to yo~u! Good-bye to everything that I kne~w!~_ " Grabbing his arm, I made him stop and look back at me, clearly confused. Shifting on my feet, I averted my eyes. "~ _You were the one I loved. The one thing that I tried to hold on to.~_ " Spike faced me and I felt his hands on mine. They were larger than my own, and colder-much, much colder. He turned me to where my back was to a support beam holding up the second floor and I felt his lips on mine. "~ _The one thing that I tried to hold on to. Good-bye to yo~u! Good-bye to everything that I kne~w! You were the one I loved.~_ " I wrapped my arms around the back of Spike's neck as he held onto my hips while he kissed me.

I couldn't explain why I wasn't disgusted by him kissing me and touching me the way he was, I just knew I liked it. It made me forget everything, and everything just seemed to wash away as his cool body touched mine.


	56. Oh, bet you wanna ride the new wave, yeah

"I'm sure we can work something out." A man said as he and a woman were cowering in an alley.

"A deal of some sort. Anything you want." The woman said.

"I always wanted a pony, but equines seem to be terrified of me." I said while stepping behind the two shadowy figures closing in on the couple. They all turned to to look and my and I hit the sarcasm. "Oh. You weren't speaking to me, were you? My bad. Well, as long as I'm here...." I trailed off while kicking one of the men.

"Ow! Lady!" The two cowered while backing off.

"Wow. A mugging." With plain surprise in my voice, I noticed the attackers were human. "Haven't gotten one of those before." I said while thinking back to all the times I had saved people in an alley. "Usually it's blood, and with the horror.... Just a good old-fashioned mugging." Looking at the two men, I was definitely taken back. "Kinda sweet, actually." I added while picking up the woman's purse. "Oh, well, not for you most likely." Smiling as I handed the woman her bag, I gave her some advice. "Here. Go. Now."

The couple ran off while the two muggers attacked me. Fending them off was easy since they were human and all, so I didn't even have to let any of my demonic traits show. Twisting one man's arm behind his back, I kicked the other.

"Not too sweet for you either, huh? Well come on. Rush me. It'll be funny." I said as the other guy got up on his feet. Then, there was a yell as Spike came crashing in and punched the human. "Don't! A~and I'm too late." I sighed. "Gonna have one Hell of a headache." Mumbling, I pushed the human I was holding down as boxes came tumbling down on the vampire.

"Ow!" Spike held his head as he sat up.

"What the Hell are you doing?" I asked while putting my hands onto my hips.

"I thought they were demons." He groaned while getting to his feet.

"Way to go with the keen observy-ness, Jessica Fletcher."

"Remind me not to help you."

" _More_ often?" I asked. "Geez, I'm going to have to get a planner."

"Hey, a little sympathy for the man with the migraine here, can we?"

"Well," I crossed my arms. "that's what you get for attacking a human, chip-head."

"Yeah." Spike lowered his hand while shifting on his feet. "You'd think if the government was gonna put a chip in my head, they'd at least make it so I could attack criminals and that sort." He pointed to his head.

"Oh, yeah. 'Cause muggers deserve to be eaten." The vampire gave me a look. "You'll just have to get your rocks off fightin' demons."

"There are other ways." He smirked at me.

"And to that, an extreme _'see ya later.'_ " Turning, I began to leave.

"Aud."

"Spike, it's late, okay? Buffy's probably wondering where I went off to. Can we just finish this another time?" I sighed while turning back around.

"Oh, so you wanna jump right to the kissin', then, eh?" The bleached blonde asked while walking towards me.

"I am not kissing you, Spike. Once was-

"Twice." He corrected.

"Actually, it was thrice if you count the Glory incident, but not again." I waved a hand.

"You're a tease, you know that, short stack?" He said as I walked away. "Get a fella's motor revvin', let the tension marinate a couple of days, then BAM!- crown yourself the ice queen."

"You need a few more metaphors for that little mix?" Rolling my eyes, I kept walking.

"It's only a matter of time before you realize I'm the only one here for you, pet." Spike shouted after me as I left the alley. "You got no one else!"

~

"Willow?" Buffy called after seeing all the lights on in the house. I smelt a strange scent and headed for the stairs.

"Hey." I leaned in her doorway, seeing no one else in the room but Willow. But my nose told me there was someone else-a woman, and it wasn't Tara.

"How you doin'?" Buffy asked.

"Oh, um, okay." Willow sat up while crossing her legs on her bed.

"Yeah?" Buffy and I walked in. The Slayer sat on the bed while I stayed standing.

"Yeah. It's not parades and cotton candy, but okay."

"Guys, um, can I talk to you about something?" I asked. _'Okay, they're both here now, I should talk to them about it....'_

"Of course." Willow nodded.

"What is it?" Buffy asked.

"Right. Okay, um," Shifting on my feet, I put my hands into my back pockets. "you know how we all make choices, and sometimes they're good, and sometimes they're....less good." Looking at the two, I saw their expressions grow concerned.

"Uh-huh."

"Well, lately I haven't- who are you?" I cut off as a woman came into the room from the bathroom.

"Amy?" Buffy said.

"The whole school?" The woman asked and Willow nodded. "By a giant snake thing? Okay, still adjusting. Hi, Buffy."

"Hi."

"Uh, you I don't know, but- hi." She looked at me and I gave a small wave.

"How've you been?" Buffy asked.

"Rat. You?"

"Dead."

"Oh." They nodded at each other.

"W-well, I should let you guys catch up." I looked at the three of them. "I-I can-"

"No, no, no, no. Stay." Amy told me. "Do you have any cookies?" She asked Buffy.

"Uh, yeah. Wh-what kind?" Buffy replied.

"Any kind. Not cheese." She had this look on her face.

"Um, sure. In the-the kitchen. I'll just get 'em." The Slayer stood up.

"Oh, no. I'll grab 'em."

"Okay, well, um, at least, you know, let me make up the, uh, the couch for you." Buffy said while Amy walked past me and stood in the doorway. "It's late. You should stay here. Everybody does."

"Thank you." Amy said before walking away.

"Wow." Buffy looked to Willow who was smiling.

"I know."

"Is she gonna be okay?"

"Don't know. She's kinda freaked out. But then, I would be too." Willow nodded.

"Wow." Buffy said again.

"Yeah, I-I just realized I could. Thought of the right thing and...." She shifted in her spot while smiling. "It's nice....having another magically inclined friend around." I looked down at my feet when she said that. "So, what were you gonna tell us?" Willow looked up at me. "You were sounding all serious."

"Huh? Oh, nothing." I shook my head with a smile. "I mean, no way I'm topping Amy becoming human again." Waving a hand, I left the room and went to the kitchen. Grabbing a box of crackers, I sat at the island while just staring off into space.

"Aud! We got work to do!" Buffy shouted from the living room and I jerked out of my head.

"Huh?"

"Work. Now. Let's go."

"Gimme a second!" I replied while putting up the crackers and wiping the crumbs from my face.

~

Standing behind the crowd of people, we tried to get a look over everyone's backs at the museum. Apparently, a man was frozen almost instantaneously, but Buffy and I couldn't get a look due to how short we were. For a few seconds, we were just hopping to glance in front of the crowd.

"Hold on, I got an idea." Buffy said. "Excuse me. Excuse me. Thanks." She began to make her way through the crowd while pulling me along behind her. Standing to where we could finally see, the ambulance was carrying a frozen security guard. They had to be careful taking him down the stairs on the dolly or risk injuring the man. "Okay, you go that way. I'll go this way, try to find a back entrance or tracks." Buffy pointed and we split up in the crowd.

Going out into the open grass to the side of the museum, I looked around for any signs of demonic activity. Well, besides my own, obviously. Staring at the museum, I looked for another way in while sniffing for inhuman scents.

"Great." I sighed while picking up the smell of a vampire.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to show up."

"What the Hell are you doing here, Spike?" Looking at him, I put my hands into my back pockets.

"Well, you know a man was frozen alive in there. A little compassion, love." He pointed to the building as I rolled my eyes. "Uh, you know, as long as we're both here, you might as well tag along." Spike said as he followed me. "I mean, as a team we could-"

"Yeah, that never really ends well, does it?" I popped off and he put his thumbs behind his belt buckle.

"It did the other night."

"You know, you really seem awfully fixated on a few kisses, Spike."

"And you seem awfully quick to forget about 'em." I stopped and turned to face him.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I-I'm sorry if you thought that it meant more." I told him. "Like I've said many times, I think that stuff is gross."

"But?"

"But....when I kissed you, you know I was thinking about Buffy, right?" I asked and he furrowed his brows while giving me a look.

"You know, I always wondered about you two. Always hangin' around each other the way you two do."

"What?" And then it dawned on me. "Oh, not like that, Spike! No, not like that. Pops left an-and we got depressed, and after getting yanked out of Heaven, I didn't know how I should talk to her, ergo, I just wanted to get my mind off of it all for a moment. But that's all it was. You have to let it go." I waved a hand.

"Did it work?" The bleached blonde asked.

"What?"

"You convince yourself?"

"Please, just stop." I continued to walk away.

"A man can change."

"You're a vampire." I stopped to look at him again since he was following me. "You're a thing." Turning, he grabbed my shoulder.

"Stop walking away."

"Don't touch me!" Lashing out, I punched him. As a reflex, he hit back. It caught me off guard since I hadn't been expecting it, so I ended up falling back. Spike yelled in pain as I got back to my feet. Growling, I really hit him, making him go down on all fours. After a second, he leaned back onto his knees and I just wanted to say something to make him leave me alone. "You're a thing. An evil, disgusting thing. At least I have a soul." I said to the back of his head before leaving.

~

"Here." Willow said as she, Buffy, and Xander were all looking at the newspaper. "Says the guard's definitely gonna live."

"He's all thawed out. Says they used hair dryers. Huh." Xander added.

"Everything slowed down. His nervous system, circulatory system. He's still unconscious." And that was when Anya began to groan while looking at a book shelf.

"Anya?" Buffy questioned.

"It's such a pain. The text I wanted- Giles took it with him. He has this thing that owning a book makes it, like, his property." She rolled her eyes while holding a book. Sighing, I stood up from sitting on the stairs and went to the training room.

"Catch me up when you find something." I waved over my shoulder. Sliding off my jacket, I pulled off my shirt and straightened my tank top. Kicking off my shoes, I pulled on my fingerless gloves before walking to the punching bag. Getting into an attack stance, I began to punch and kick at the bag. I practiced multiple strike combos and different fighting techniques.

~

"Aha! I got it!" Xander said as we were hitting the books for any sort of demon that could have stolen the missing diamond in the museum and froze the night guard. "Here's our villain right here." He pointed in his book as we all looked up from ours. "What?"

"That's a D&D manual, sweetie." Anya told him while Buffy and I sighed.

"No, but it-" The human male cut himself off while looking at the front cover. "Oh." He gave a sheepish smile while leaning back in his seat.

"Let's face it." Anya looked at the Slayer and I. "We're not gonna find this thing because it doesn't exist. There's no such thing as a frost monster who eats diamonds."

"Well, maybe he doesn't eat them." I suggested while glancing at Buffy. "You know, maybe he just...."

"Thinks they're pretty." Buffy tried to come up with something, then just shut her book. "We suck."

"We need new brains." Xander stated. "What's up with Willow?"

"Out with Amy, I guess." I sighed.

"Great. Someone to do more magic with." Anya looked down.

"But at least she's not all cooped up and crying. That's forward momentum." Buffy said. "I know that I-I don't know everything that happened with her and Tara, but it-"

"Tara thinks Willow is doing too much magic, and she's not the only one." Xander told her while shaking his head.

"I know. But I-I think she'll be fine, you know? It's-It's Willow, she of the level head."

"Well, those are the ones you have to watch out for the most. Responsible types." Anya pointed.

"Right. She might go crazy and start alphabetizing everything." Looking at the ex-demon, I closed the book in front of me.

"I'm serious. Responsible people are always so concerned with being good all the time that when they finally get a taste of being bad, they can't get enough- It's all kablooey." She waved her hands.

"That's not true." I shifted in my seat.

"Okay, not kablooey. More like BAM!"

"It's human nature, Aud. Wil's getting a taste of something powerful, way bigger than her." Xander said.

"Yeah, and she was getting out of control with it before Tara left, and now that she's gone...."

"It's gotta be seductive just giving in to it, going totally wild." Xander waved a hand as I shifted in my seat again. "We need to keep an eye on her." He looked at Buffy and I.

"Okay." Buffy nodded. "Okay. We'll-we'll keep an eye." She glanced at me and I nodded.

"But we can't assume that everybody's getting seduced." Pushing some of my hair behind my ear, I continued. "You know, sometimes-" I was cut off by my phone ringing. Pulling it out of my pocket, I didn't recognize the number. "Hold on, I'll be right back." Walking to the training room, I answered my cell. "Hello, city morgue- you stab 'em, we slab 'em." I sometimes answered unknown numbers that way.

"That's funny, pet." The voice on the other end of the call was low.

"Spike?"

"Meet me at the cemetery. Twenty minutes. Come alone."

"Spike?" I furrowed my brows.

"Bloody Hell." He sighed. "Yes, it's me."

"You're calling me on the phone? How'd you get my number?"

"Just be there."

"Why, are you helping again?" Putting a hand on my hip, I listened for a reply. "You have a lead on the frost monster?"

"Something like that, yeah. Thought you might be up for a little grunt work."

"What? No. No-No grunting." Clearing my throat, I shifted on my feet.

"I was talking shop, love, but if you got other ideas- you, me, cozy little tomb with a view-" I hung up before he could get any further.

"Who was it?" Buffy asked as I walked back into the shop.

"Spike- no idea how he got my number."

"So, what did Captain Peroxide want?" Xander crossed his legs while lazily slinging and arm over the back of his chair.

"Just wanted to see if I w-wanted to patrol....for th-the monster." I replied while sticking my phone into my pocket. "B-but I told him no and to stuff it."

"He must have said something to make you pretty angry." Anya looked at me as I sat down.

"Why do you say that?"

"Your face is all red."

"Oh, uh, yeah. Well, you know Spike. Always knows a way to piss people off." Putting my nose to a book, we spent a few more hours doing research.


	57. Who is the fly in your chapagne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *Warning: Mature content ahead, proceed at own will.*

"I'm telling you. I think there's something about this thing." Buffy said as we were leaving the Magic Box. Anya turned to lock up the shop as we stood there waiting.

"Well, I don't know, Buff. It seems like we've been through every book."

"Yeah, even the ones that weren't so boring you wanted to kill yourself." Anya smiled as we were walking away from the magic shop.

"We have those?"

"I'm just saying, all the things that have happened lately. Okay, the-the bank robbery, the jewelry heist."

"Exploding lint."

"Is it me or do these things seem really-"

"Lame?" The ex-demon suggested.

"Well, I was gonna go with unusual, but yeah." Buffy nodded. "I don't know." She shrugged. "We'll do a quick patrol tonight, and after a good night's sleep, we can solve this tomorrow." The Slayer looked at each of us.

"Optimism. I remember optimism." Anya nodded.

"That's because you're like a thousand." Xander popped off.

"Good night, guys." I smiled at the couple turning away.

"Night." Everyone said before we went our separate ways.

"So, how do you wanna do it this time? Work our way through town and meet up at the cemetery, or start at the cemetery and work our way to town?" I asked.

"Well, we're already here, so I'll meet you in the cemetery." Buffy waved as she went down a different street than I did. She always took the more populated parts of town since she didn't have to worry about exposing any inhuman body parts. Putting my hands into my pants pockets, I went down an alley. Most things that go bump in the night lurked in alleys. _'And speak of the devil....'_ I thought as Spike stood in front of me.

"Aud."

"So my night is complete."

"You never showed."

"Sorry, I was busy actually doing stuff." I said while walking past him.

"You shouldn't be so flip, love."

"What are you gonna do, walk behind me to death?"

"I'm just saying things might be a little different." Spike stepped in front of me to stop me from walking. "You ought to be careful."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes while trying to go around him. The bleached blond stepped back into my path. "Get the Hell out of my way." Glaring, I saw him looking down at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Or what?" In the blink of an eye, I hit him. Not too hard because he couldn't fight back, just hard enough for him to get the idea to leave me be. He glared at me before socking me in the jaw.

"Oh, the pain, the pain....is _gone._ " Spike said with a mocking tone. "Guess what I just found out?" He asked as I stared wide-eyed at him. _'He shouldn't be able to hit me....'_ "Looks like I'm not as toothless as you thought, sweetheart."

"How?"

"Don't you get it? Don't you see? You came back wrong." After he said that, I just felt something flip. I swung a fist, making him stumble back as he was chuckling. I kicked the vampire, sending him further down the alley. The next punch I threw, he caught and counterattacked. I ran into a fence and turned around, looking at him as he was panting and grinning.

"It's a trick. You-you did something to the chip. It's a trick."

"It's not me. It's you." Spike shook his head. "Just you, in fact. That's the funny part." He punched me. "You're the one that's changed." He hit again. "That's why this doesn't hurt me." Blocking his next strike, he smirked. "Came back a little less human than you were- more demon this time round."

"You're wrong!" I kicked him back into the brick wall.

"Than how come you're so spooked, love? And why can I-" He swung a fist. "do that?"

"You're wrong." Slowly looking at him, I felt my tail grow out as I punched him. The bleached blond fell back, and when he was getting to his feet, I grabbed the front of his shirt and hit him again. Kicking him up a set of concrete steps, I tossed him through a wooden door into an abandoned building.

Growling, I just kept hitting him, kicking him, feeling all of my frustration going into my attacks. Spike kept falling back, running into things, and would manage to get a hit in every now and then. I drop-kicked him into another room, and he was chuckling as he got to his feet.

"Oh, poor, little, lost girl." The vampire swung from the chandelier and kicked me back. "She doesn't fit in anywhere. She's got no one to love- pushes everyone away." He grabbed me and I tossed him into the staircase. Spike crashed through the rails as I balled my hands into fists.

"Me? I'm lost? Look at you, you dumbass." I then mocked Harmony's voice. "Poor Spikey. Can't be a human, can't be a vampire." Walking towards him, he pulled himself to his feet. "Where the Hell do _you_ fit in?"

"Look who's talking, half-breed." Ducking his fist, I grabbed him and threw him into the fireplace. Bricks and dust came raining down on him.

"Your job is to kill the Slayer and her allies, right? But all you can do is follow me around making moon eyes." Knowing that I was in the middle of a fight, I couldn't understand why I was getting that weird feeling in my gut again. It was strange, foreign, and I had no idea what it was.

"I'm in love with you." Spike looked up at me.

"You're in love with pain. Admit it. You like me because you enjoy getting beat down." I pointed to the ground as the bleached blond got up. "So really, who's screwed up?"

"Hello? Vampire." Blocking his strike, I gave a right hook. "I'm supposed to be treading on the dark side." He growled while grabbing me and tossing me into a wall. Pushing myself up off the ground, I felt him grab me again and I was thrown to the middle of the floor. "What's your excuse?" He asked while grabbing onto the front of my shirt. Coiling my legs up, I kicked him back. He crashed into a support beam, leaving a huge, gaping hole in it. I lept at him as he was standing up. He twisted around, pinning me onto the staircase. I punched him in the jaw and he back handed me.

"I wasn't planning on hurting you....much." He smirked while pulling me off of the stairs while still holding onto the front of my shirt.

"You haven't even come close." I bared my teeth. 

"Afraid to give me the chance?" Using my tail, I knocked him back into a support beam, cracking it with the amount of force I had used. Grabbing his coat, I pinned him to the beam. As I looked up at him, I finally figured out what the odd feeling was.... I didn't believe it for a brief second, but after all I had learned I was surprised I didn't realize it sooner. "You afraid I'm gonna-" I cut him off with a kiss and Spike rammed me back into the opposite wall while putting his hands onto my hips. My lips moved in sync with his and his cold touch did nothing to soothe my burning skin.

Pushing him back, I moved out of the way just as a wooden beam came crashing down. I wrapped my arms around his neck while kissing him again. Spike's tongue slipped past my lips and I tried to put away my fangs so I wouldn't bite him, but my pounding heart and rush of adrenaline wouldn't allow me. He grabbed the back of my knees and hoisted me up, wrapping my legs around his waist.

Reaching down, I unzipped his pants and stuck my hand inside. Groping, I started to purr while rubbing his hardening member. The vampire pulled back from he kiss, looking at me for a second. My tail wrapped around his leg and he turned to put my back against the wall. Spike began to grind his hips into mine, squeezing my ass in one hand as sounds of things crumbling and glass breaking filled my ears. I ignored it all while he unzipped my jeans and started to pull them down. Kicking off my shoes, I made it easier for him to take them off.

The bleached blond tossed my pants over his shoulder before my panties were taken off as well. Kissing him while pushing his coat off of his shoulder, I moaned as I felt Spike rubbing a finger against my womanhood. Nipping at his bottom lip, I just wanted him- all of him. The vampire began to kiss at my neck and collarbone when I gave a small growl. I was shocked at myself, I disliked such intimacies, but this....this felt _good_. I _liked_ it, and I wanted to explore this feeling more just out of curiosity.

"Now." I panted and he greedily obliged, making me moan even louder as he thrusted inside.

Pushing myself off the wall, Spike stumbling before falling back as I straddled him. Placing my hands onto his chest, I felt the most exquisite sensation while rocking my hips. My claws lightly dug into his skin as my tail swayed behind me, twitching at intervals. His hands traveled up my shirt, taking off my bra before he groped my breasts. Tossing my head back, I moaned to the Heavens.

I discovered what that feeling I got in my gut was whenever the bleached blonde came around. It was _lust._


	58. Whose got the body and whose got the brain

Waking up, I gasped while looking around. The building I had passed out in was gone and in it's place was a wreck of chaos. The roof was caved in, letting in a little sunlight while support beams and wooden posts were broken all around. Chunks of the building even laid everywhere.

Quickly getting to my feet, I covered myself with the long black coat I had been using as a blanket. Looking back at the vampire, I saw him waking up.

"When-" I paused, thinking of a good way to ask my question. "When did the building fall down?" Spike glanced around.

"I don't know." He smirked while propping himself up on his elbows. He was covered in bruises and there were even claw marks on his chest and shoulders. "Must have been some time between the first time and the, uh...." He trailed off while chuckling.

"Oh." Staring at his naked form in the middle of the floor, I realized just how stupid I had been to give in to my lust and curiosity. "Oh, my God." I hurried to get dressed, it was daylight out and Buffy and Dawn must be wondering where the Hell I was. "Pants. I need my pants." Looking under the rubble, I tried to find said article of clothing.

"What's the hurry, love?"

"The hurry is I left Buffy to patrol and never showed up where we were supposed to meet at. And don't call me _'love.'_ "

"You didn't seem to take issue with that last night. Or with any of the other little nasties we whispered." Spike smirked.

"Could you just not talk? I'm trying to find my pants." I told him while finding a sock instead.

"I just don't see why you have to run off so quick. I thought we could-"

"Not gonna happen!" Holding up a hand to stop him, I found my shirt. "Last night was the stop to this freak show." Looking past him, I saw my pants. _'Oh, there they are!'_ Walking to them, Spike grabbed me and pulled me into his lap.

"Don't say that." He gave me a serious look.

"What did you think was gonna happen?" I asked. "Huh? We're gonna read the newspaper and eat breakfast together? Play footsie under the rubble?"

"Not exactly what I had in mind." The bleached blonde said while rubbing his hand against the outside of my panties. I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning, and I used my tail to push him back.

"Quit it!"

"Make me." And I found myself kissing him again until I gave a small moan before shaking my head.

"No! No!" I said mostly to myself. "I-I have to-"

"Stay. I'm stuck here. Sun's out." Spike kissed me again and my tail began to curl and uncurl. He pulled me across his lap and laid me down next to him. The bleached blonde had his hand between my legs, making me moan. "I knew. I knew the only thing better than killing you would be f-"

"What?!" I pulled him off me with my tail while quickly getting to my feet. Looking at him, I balled my hands into fists. "Is that was this is about? Fucking a half-breed?" I couldn't tell why that made me angry.

"I wouldn't throw stones, pet. You seem to be the groupie yourself."

"Shut up." I snarled while grabbing my pants and pulling them on.

"I'm just sayin'....vampires get you hot."

"No, they don't. Okay, they don't!" I pointed at him. "Hell, I didn't even know what my sexual orientation was, so last night was just me finding out. You were a convenient male to see if I was heterosexual." Spike scoffed before getting to his feet.

"So, what now?" He asked while putting his pants on. "You go back to treating me like dirt until the next time you got an itch you can't scratch? Well, forget it!" The vampire buckled up his belt. "Last night changed things. I'm done being your whipping boy."

"Nothing's changed. It was a mistake."

"Bollocks!" Spike tilted his head. "It was a bloody revelation. You can act as high and mighty as you like," He began to walk towards me. "but I know where you live now, low rider. I've tasted it." He leaned forward, going to kiss me, but I stopped him before he could.

"Get a grip. Like you're God's gift."

"Hardly." Spike chuckled. "It wouldn't be nearly as interesting, would it?" He bit his bottom lip. Pushing him back, I stepped away.

"Move." I snarled when he stood in my path. The vampire hooked his wrists together behind my head, making me look at him.

"I may be dirt, but you're the one who likes to roll in it, pet. You never had it so good as me. Never." _'Well, duh. You're the only one I've had.'_ I thought.

"Ugh, you're so disgusting." I said, forcing myself out of his hold to walk past him.

"Yeah. But it made you scream, didn't it?"

"I swear to God, if you tell anyone about last night, I will kill you." I growled while putting my shoes on. Spike gave me a look.

"Right." He nodded. "You, uh, gonna want this too?" He asked while holding up my bra. Punching him square in the nose, I snatched my bra from him and put it on as I was walking out.

~

As I was coming into the house, Tara was leaving. I watched her go, wondering why she was here so early in the morning, and headed to the kitchen.

"Aud! Wh-where were you? Are you okay?" Dawn asked as I stood next to the island. Willow and Amy were also in the kitchen and I smelled the start of pancakes.

"I'm fine." I told her.

"You're not. You have this wound that isn't healing." Looking down, I saw two marks scraping across my collarbone, something that was left there from Spike's fangs.

"I-I'm fine. I just, uh, had a fight with a big demon." I lied while being confused. _'Why didn't that heal? Everything else did.'_

"Figured. I knew that's why you didn't call." Dawn nodded. "So, what's the big bad? Should we be worried?"

"No. You guys are safe. I-I killed the thing." I looked at them. "Tara was here?"

"I guess she stayed over with Dawn." Willow replied.

"You guess? Where you not here?"

"We went out. We kind of lost track of time." The redhead gestured to Amy.

"Uh, what about Buffy?"

"Oh, she came in late." Dawn looked at me. "We were already asleep when she got back, so she just went to bed."

"Um, pancakes are burning." I pointed to the stove. Willow went over and turned the stove off.

"I've, uh-I've got to get some sleep."

"Me too." I nodded while standing up all of the way.

"Yeah. I should go home." Amy said. "Dad's expecting me."

"Okay. I'll call you later."

"Yeah. Good." The ex-rat went out the back door.

"You gonna be okay with us going to sleep? I can stay up with you if you want." I looked at Dawn.

"I'm okay, you go rest. You're beat from monster wrestling all night." The little Summers girl said.

"Yeah. Right. Thanks." I then went up to bed.

~

"All these demons are starting to look alike." Xander said as Anya, Buffy, and I were also back to researching. After I had woken up from my nap, the wound on my collarbone had thankfully healed. The couple were at the table while Buffy was at the front counter and I was walking back from putting up books we had already gone through. "You got reptiles, reptiles with horns, reptiles with gills. I'm still finding nothing of the _'steal a diamond, freeze a guy'_ variety. An, would you hand me that one next to you?" The ex-demon seemed preoccupied with the book in her hands.

"Great. We're not even married yet, and already you've stopped listening to me." He picked up the book and a bridal magazine slipped out as I sat down. Xander then pushed the book in Anya's hands to the table and there was another magazine on top of the pages. "Anya!"

"I'm sorry, but this is pointless. We've been researching forever, and we're not close to finding out who robbed that museum." Anya looked at her future husband as Buffy walked over.

"What's up?" The Slayer asked.

"Anya has a theory. She thinks that Martha Stewart froze that guy."

"Don't be ridiculous. Martha Stewart isn't a demon. She's a witch."

"Please, she c- Really?" Xander glanced at Anya.

"Of course. Nobody could do that much decoupage without calling on the powers of darkness."

"Guys, while this is fascinating, we still have work to do." The Slayer looked down at them while leaning on the back of a chair.

"I know I do. I can't decide whether to put my bridesmaids in cocktail dresses or the traditional burlap with blood larva."

"The traditional what?" Xander paused.

"Well, I was a demon for a thousand years, Xander. You can't expect me to turn my back on all the ways of my people."

"Uh, can I weigh in on this whole _'me wearing larva'_?" Buffy raised a finger.

"No." Both Anya and Xander told her.

"At least I'm not asking you to perform the groom's right of self-flagellation." The ex-demon stated as Buffy sat down next to me.

"Uh, guys. There's something out there." Buffy looked at the two humans.

"There is. And as much as I hate to admit that my bizarre bride-to-be has a point, we're gettin' nowhere here, Buff. Maybe it's time to try something new. You know? Hit the streets. Get Spike on it."

"No. No. No Spike." I quickly looked up. "A-and no _'hit the streets.'_ W-we stay put, you know? Away from distractions. We'll figure this out." Grabbing a book, I hid behind it while acting as if I was going back to researching.

"What about Willow? Can't she do something?" Anya asked.

"Maybe. But she's home sleeping." Buffy answered.

"Sleeping? She sick?"

"No. She was out late with Amy." I said.

"And I'm bizarre?" Anya looked at Xander. "At least I didn't dump you to hang out with an ex-rat."

"No, it's not like that." Buffy waved a hand. "You know, she's just helping Amy through a transition."

"And making herself a playmate to do magic with. Someone who won't monitor her, like Tara." Xander shifted in his seat.

"But Willow's a grown-up. I mean, maybe she doesn't need to be monitored." Buffy said.

"She's going through something, but we're not her. I mean, m-maybe she has reasons for why she's acting this way." Turning the page in the book, I glanced up at everyone before looking back down. "And so what if she crossed a line? You know, we all do stuff. Stupid stuff." As I spoke I remembered the things I did with Spike. "But then we learn. A-and by learning from our mistakes, we don't do it again. Okay, so, you know, who are we to be all judge-y?" I felt like I was rambling....

"Not judge-y, Aud. Just observe-y." The human male waved his hand.

"Yeah, all we're saying is she's acting different, you know?" Anya added. "She's not herself." I shifted in my seat as the ex-demon went back to the magazine.


	59. Let me taste your blood cause I'm in pain

After getting a call from Buffy while I was out getting more jelly and bread for PB&J's, I found out that Willow's magic problem was much worse than what we all had thought. Buffy had called me to track her down because she had Dawn with her, but for some reason, I just couldn't. Their scents seemed to be smothered by a great deal of magic that I was hoping came from Willow and not something chasing them. So, as a last resort, I went to the undead for help.

Walking into his crypt, I looked around for the vampire. When I saw no sign of him, I went down the ladder to the cave below. I managed to find Spike, but he was passed out in his bed. Calling his name, he didn't even stir. Sighing, I even tried shouting, but still got no reaction.

"Geez, it's like trying to wake the dead." I rolled my eyes, then realized what I said. "Wow, Aud, making puns without even knowing." I mumbled while grabbing a couple of candles off of a dresser. Tossing one at him, he jolted awake while gasping. "Do you sleep through anything?" I asked as the bleached blonde looked at me. "I was yelling even and still got nothing." Setting down the other candle I was also going to toss, I was still tempted to chunk it at him.

"I'm a bit knackered." Spike said while tossing back his sheet and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "Had a long night. Someone should teach you how to use candles in foreplay, love." Grabbing his pants off the chair next to me, I threw them at him.

"Get dressed. Dawn's missing."

"Again? Why don't you just track her? She wearing perfume?

"No." Was all I said while putting my hands into my back pockets.

"What's the story?" He sighed.

"She went out with Willow."

"Willow? That's kind of a sorry excuse to come by." He smirked. "You want _'the touch,'_ all you need to do is-"

"Spike, Willow's into something. Buffy said that her and Dawn have been missing for hours. Sh-she mentioned some guy called Rack."

"Rack?" The English undead furrowed his brows.

"Yeah, he's, uh, some sort of-"

"I know who he is. He deals in magic. Black stuff. Dangerous."

"Well, Buffy and I have been all over downtown, and I can't find his place."

"He cloaks it. You can't feel it unless you're into the big bad. A witch or a vampire."

"Great, so another thing to put on the con list of being a half-breed." Sighing, I shifted on my feet. "Come on, then, let's go." Spike rose to his feet and I quickly turned around since he was naked.

"Oh, that's right. Hide your blushing eyes." He popped off.

~

"Anything?" I asked as we were walking down the street.

"Not yet. I might pick up on it if you'd stop asking me every two seconds." He said while looking around. Buffy was over on the next block, waiting for us to meet up with her.

"Spike, if you're dragging this out-"

"What? So I can linger near your precious self? Get a grip." The vampire stopped walking and I stood in front of him.

"You've done it before." I popped off.

"Maybe. But we've been through this, haven't we?" He sighed. "Things have changed."

"Will you stop saying that? The only thing that's different is you can hit me and I seem to be heterosexual." Pausing, I looked at the bleached blonde. "Last night....was the most perverse, degrading experience of my life."

"Yeah. Me too." Spike smiled while nodding and licking his bottom lip. I furrowed my brows as we began to walk again, his response not really making much sense to me.

"That might be how you get off, but it's not my style."

"No, it's your calling." He glanced back at me. "Gave me a run for my money, short stack." Spike paused. "Now, I admit it, you've had me by the short hairs. I love you. You know it. But I got my rocks back. You felt something last night."

"Not love." I honestly said. _'Lust.'_ I thought.

"Not yet. But I'm in your system now. You're gonna crave me like I crave blood. And the next time you come calling, if you don't stop being such a bitch, maybe I will _bite_ you."

"And I'll just bite you back harder."

"Oh, really? Is that a promise?" He smirked.

"That's not how I meant it." Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms. "I meant in a vicious, _'I'm-gonna-kill-you'_ way."

"Mm-hmm. Sure."

"That's it. I want you out of my life." I waved a and. "Out of my work. Out of my home."

"Too late for that. I was invited in already. And as for your work, you need me. Like tonight."

"I'll just find Dawn with Buffy alone."

"You really gonna put her in danger just to spite me?" Sighing, I shook my head.

"....No, I'm not. Her and Buffy are like family to me." I mumbled. After meeting up with Buffy, we began to walk the streets with Spike as the bloodhound instead of me this time.

As we were going down a street, there was suddenly the sound of screaming. Lifting my head, I recognized who it was.

"Dawn!" And I began to run. Racing to find her as soon as I could, I found myself under a bridge. The girl was on the ground as a large, hairy demon was coming towards her.

"Dawn!" I heard Buffy call as I tackled the demon. Baring my sharp teeth, I swung a fist before getting to my feet and Buffy joined in on the fight. Whenever she would duck, I would strike the demon where he was open and Buffy would do the same. We were doing pretty good until the thing grabbed Buffy and threw her to the concrete holding up the bridge.

"Buffy!" I looked to her before jumping between the demon and the Slayer. Growling, I flexed my claws as my tail swayed. I was ready to go in for the kill, but suddenly, the demon began to spasm and hyperventilate.

"Now you're scared? Better late than never." Buffy said as she got to her feet, and then the demon went up in smoke and burned to ash within a few seconds. Looking over, we saw Willow with her eyes completely black as red sparks flew between her fingers. _'Willow....what have you done?'_ "Dawn. What happened?" Buffy went to  
her sister.

"Are you okay?" I questioned while seeing blood on her forehead.

"Ow! He was after Willow. She made the car drive. Don't!" Dawn whimpered as Buffy tried to grab the arm she was cradling.

"No, honey, please. I need to see it, okay?" Buffy said. "Let me see your arm."

"Here, let me help." Biting my wrist, I held the bleeding bite over Dawn's head wound. It wasn't healing.

"Why isn't it working? It worked with me." Buffy looked at me as I furrowed my brows.

"I-I don't know, it should be healing."

"It's not working because she's just human now." Spike sighed as I pulled my hand back from Dawn. "She's the Slayer, she's supernaturally inclined." He gestured his head to Buffy.

"Dawn." I heard Willow's voice behind me. "Oh, God. There's blood."

"We need to get her to a doctor then." I looked at Buffy.

"Is she okay?" The redhead asked. "I-is she okay?" Helping Buffy get Dawn to her feet, the Slayer didn't look at the witch.

"Back off, Wil. I got her." Buffy said as we walked past Willow.

"No, Dawnie."

"I mean it. Stay away from her." The little blonde woman warned.

"Dawnie! Dawnie, I am so sorry." Willow ran in front of us while looking at the little Summers girl. "I'm so sorry. It was an accident. I didn't see. I'm so, so sorry." Dawn looked at her with a fierce expression on her face for a second before slapping Willow with her good hand."Dawnie." The witch pleaded. "Dawnie." I began to take Dawn away with Buffy as the witch cried. "I'm s-I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She repeated as she sobbed.

Buffy gave me a look, and I nodded. Glancing at Spike, I gestured to Dawn with my head. He got the idea and helped me walk Dawn while Buffy stayed behind with Willow. Carefully holding onto the little Summers, I made sure to put my demonic parts away before we got to the hospital.

That night, I heard Willow panting as she lied awake in bed, feeling the withdrawal from Rack's magic. I sat cross-legged in the middle of my bed, unable to sleep as I fiddled with the cross in my hands. After seeing how badly Willow had gotten drawn into the magics, I knew I had to stop this....thing- this strange attraction- with Spike.


	60. You are the one that I desire

"Candles? We can't have candles?" Dawn questioned as we were cleaning out the magical objects from Willow's room.

"Dawn, it's a magic clearance."

"Everything must go." I added.

"B-but they're just candles."

"Well, yeah, to you and me, they're just candles...." Buffy began.

"But to witches, they're like bongs." I finished. Dawn sighed while closing her eyes.

"So, no candles, no charms. No-"

"Bird." Willow said as Buffy was heading to the bathroom to clean it out.

"No bird?"

"The peacock on the table. It has two crystals in it." Buffy picked up said object and looked inside. "Tara, she....she left them."

"I'll make sure she gets 'em." Buffy promised. "Aud, could you go ahead and start downstairs?"

"Uh, sure." Setting down the box full of magic texts, I grabbed an empty box and headed down stairs. Cleaning out the dining room first, I then moved on to the living room. Grabbing a jar off of the table next to the couch, I heard Dawn come down the stairs. "Dawn, do me a solid. Can you grab the fertility god statue on the desk over there?"

"Kokopelli? No. I-I love him." Dawn looked at me as I glanced at her. "And he was Mom's."

"Dawn, we gotta." I told her while setting the box under my arm onto the coffee table.

"Why do we have to get rid of so many things I like?"

"Dawn, Buffy and I explained this to you. Willow has a problem. The next few weeks are gonna be extremely hard on her as it is." Turning, I began to take the cushions off the couch to check for any lost magical items. "Any reminder of what it is that she's trying to stay away from," I continued as I heard her walking to the desk. "you know, could cause her to give in to temptation." Feeling under the cushions, I felt something cold and metallic and pulled it out to see it was a lighter. "And that would be bad." I said in a lower voice, knowing who the owner to the flip lighter was. Tossing it into the box, I went back to searching the couch.

~

"Dawn, come on. You _have_ to eat breakfast." I called from the kitchen

"Xander's gonna be here any second." Buffy added as I was cooking at the stove. "She's gonna be late for school again." She walked over as I was putting ham into the eggs. "How you think Willow's doing?" Buffy asked while picking up the mixing bowl and whisk and putting it into the sink.

"Better. Not completely okay, but better. She's starting to actually get some sleep and she's shaking a lot less. Oh, and she said she wanted to do some more research on the stolen diamond." I replied just before Dawn walked in.

"I called you before." Buffy said.

"Didn't hear you."

"Hey, Dawn, making you an omelette. Want anything special on it?" I asked.

"Not hungry." Listening to her heartbeat, I could tell she was lying. _'She must still be upset with Willow....'_

"Dawn, you need to eat something." Buffy said.

"Thanks for your concern." Dawn slammed her glass of juice onto the island before storming out.

"Why is she lashing out at you? I thought it was Willow she was upset with."

"Because I let it happen." The Slayer replied.

"Buffy-"

"Willow was drowning. My best friend. I was too wrapped up in my own dumb life to even notice." Looking at Buffy, I shifted on my feet.

"You weren't the only one." I stated. "I was too busy chasing my own tail to notice either." The back door then burst wide open as a smoking blanket came rushing in and then slammed the door shut. Spike dropped his protection from the sun and turned around.

"Morning." He said while slicking back his hair.

"What are you doing, and here?" Buffy asked as I turned back to the stove.

"Just, uh, took a stroll. Found myself in your neck of the woods."

"Couldn't find a less flammable time of day to take a stroll?"

"Yeah, well, the fact is my lighter's gone missing. Thought it might've dropped out of my pocket last time I was here." Spike told her.

"Haven't seen it." Buffy said as I put the omelette onto a plate.

"Here, could you take this to Willow?" I held the plate out to Buffy. "I'll take care of the overgrown flea."

"If you say so. Just remember to sweep up the dust when you're done." Buffy took the plate and left the kitchen. Putting my hands into my back pockets, I looked at Spike.

"Lame."

"What?" He began to walk around the island.

"You. Making up excuses." Turning away, I went to rinse out the pan.

"Ooh, don't flatter yourself, love. Bloody fond of that lighter."

"Stop calling me that." I glared at him while leaning on the counter.

"So, um, what should I call you then?" The bleached blonde stood in front of me. "Pet? Sweetheart?" He smirked while leaning in closer. "My, uh, Little Red Riding Hood?" The vampire referred to my red jacket while running a hand through my hair. "You know, I love this hair, the way it bounces around when-" Raising the metal spatula, I was about to hit him with it until he caught my wrist.

"Uh-uh-uh-uh! This flapjack's not ready to be flipped." Furrowing my brows, I was still glaring while his hand traveled down my side.

"What the Hell is that supposed to-" I was cut off by a stifled moan as he rubbed a hand against my crotch through my jeans. "Stop that...." My voice was low.

"Good Godfrey Cambridge, Spike!" My head whipped to the side as I saw Xander standing there. "You're still trying to mack on Aud?" He said as I pushed the bleached blonde back. "Wake up already. Never gonna happen. Only a complete loser would ever hook up with you." I shifted on my feet as the human male continued. "Well, unless she's a simpleton like Harmony or a nut sack like Drusilla."

"Hey! You really need to get Dawn off to school. Let's go-go fetch her, okay?" I walked away from Spike and towards Xander. "You can let yourself out, right, Spike?" Heading through the dining room to the living room, I called out. "Dawn, you better get going. Xander's here."

"I'm here." Dawn said while coming down the stairs.

"Okay, you got everything you need?"

"Yep."

"And after school you-"

"Yeah. Let's go, Xander."

"You will come straight home." I stopped her at the front door.

"Maybe we can find some time for you to get me into another car accident." She popped off. _'Guess Buffy's not the only one getting the wrath....'_ I thought while opening the door.

"Oh, good morning. You must be Dawn." A woman standing on the porch took off her glasses.

"Huh?"

"May I help you?" I looked at her.

"I'm Doris Kroeger from Social Services. We had an appointment." She said while bringing attention to her ID clipped to her shirt.

"I thought that was for Wednesday."

"This is Wednesday." The woman nodded. Glancing at Xander, he was nodding as well.

"Right. Well, Dawn, you better-" She walked out the door and I sighed. "And, Xander, you'll drive safely."

"Yes, ma'am." The human male said while going past Doris.

"A little bit on the tardy side, isn't she?" The short haired redhead said as she walked in.

"Yeah, well, it's been one of those mornings, you know." I stated while closing the door. "Sorry about the mess. We're doing a little house cleaning. Uh, let me get Buffy." The woman furrowed her brows at me. "Buffy! Social Services is here!" I shouted up the stairs.

"So, you're not Miss Summers?" Doris pointed.

"Oh, no. No, I'm Aud."

"The roommate." The woman nodded after looking at the file in her arms.

"Yes."

"I thought they were supposed to be here Wednesday." Buffy stated as she came down the stairs.

"It is Wednesday." I shifted on my feet as we all headed to the living room.

"So, we gonna chat this out or what?" I froze while seeing Spike slouched in the comfy chair.

"Uh, now's not really a good time." I said to Spike while Buffy was looking at me.

_'I thought you got rid of him.'_ She mouthed as we stood behind Doris.

_'I thought I did too.'_ Raising my shoulders, I looked back at the vampire.

"No worries. I'll wait." He shifted in his seat.

"Um, Miss Giles, if you and your boyfriend would like to-"

"He is _not_ my boyfriend." I quickly said. Doris looked to Buffy who shook her head. "He's, um, just, uh- Spike, this nice woman is, uh, from Social Services."

"Oh, right." He got this look on his face while rising to his feet. "Uh, hey, Buffy's a great mum. She takes good care of her little sis. And Aud, great watcher. Like, um, when Dawn was hanging out too much in my crypt, Aud put a right stop to it." I got that he was trying to help, but it seemed he was doing the opposite.

"I'm sorry. Did you say-"

"Crib." Buffy and I said at the same time.

"He said crib." Buffy laughed. "You know kids today and their buggin' street slang."

"Uh, Spike, didn't you have to go now, you know? Because of that _thing_." I said while pushing him towards the back door.

"Uh, thing. Uh, my blanket." Grabbing it off of the chair, I tossed it to him.

"He sleeps here?" Doris asked.

"What? No. No." Buffy shook her head. "Oh, th-th-the blanket. That's um...."

"A security thing." I finished for her since she was blanking for an excuse.

"Yeah." Buffy smiled at the woman. "He has issues." The Slayer began to swing her arms. "No. Just me, Aud, and Dawn living here."

"Buffy, Aud, I'm not feeling hot, so I'm gonna take a quick nap, okay?" Willow called from upstairs.

"O-okay, Wil!" Buffy replied while Doris looked at her.

"That's Willow. She, uh-"

"She kind of lives here, too, actually." Buffy finished for me.

"Another roommate, if you will." I sort of smiled as Doris saw the box on the coffee table. Her brows furrowed as she reached into the box. _'Oh, shit....'_

"You know, I know what that looks like, but I-I-I swear it's not what it looks like." Buffy pointed. "It's magic weed." The Slayer took the bag and tossed it back into the box. "It's not mine."

"I think I've seen enough." Doris said.

"No. Actually, I really don't think that you have." Buffy followed the Social Services woman as she was going to the door. "It's just- It's kind of-kind of a bad time."

"It's been a bad time now for a while, hasn't it, Miss Summers?" Doris asked while holding her clipboard and file folder. "Your sister's grades have fallen sharply in the last year due in large part to her frequent absences and lateness."

"But there are good reasons." I gestured with my hands.

"I'm sure there are." Doris looked at the both of us. "But my interest is in Dawn's welfare and the stability of her home life-something I'm just not convinced that an unemployed young woman like yourself can provide."

"I can. I-I do." Buffy shifted on her feet.

"Well, we'll just have to see about that then, won't we?" She stood in front of the door. "Oh, and I'm going to recommend immediate probation in my report."

"What does that mean?" Buffy asked.

"It means that I'll be monitoring you very closely, Miss Summers. And if I don't see that things are improving, I'll be forced to recommend that you be stripped of your sister's guardianship."

"You can't do that." The Slayer and I said.

"I do what is in Dawn's best interest, as should you." Doris opened the front door. "Have a nice day." Buffy and I just stood there for a second, watching Doris walk away. Closing the door, Buffy stormed up the stairs and I sighed while running my hands through my hair.

"Didn't go well, huh?"

"Why won't you just leave?" I asked while turning around and putting my hands into my back pockets.

"I just thought you'd want-"

"Get out of here!" I cut him off. Spike clenched his jaw before slamming his hand on the wall beside my head. He reached his hand down into my front pocket.

"Just gettin' what I came for, love." The vampire held up his lighter before he walked away to the back door. "So long, Silver Dollar." Hearing the back door slam shut, I sighed while shaking my head. Going upstairs, I heard sniffling and snipping.

"Buffy?" Furrowing my brows, I opened her door. "Oh, uh, wow...." Trailing off, I saw the Slayer with a pair of scissors in her hands and chunks of her hair were lying on the floor around her feet. "Takin' it that hard, huh?" Walking into her room, I took the scissors from her. "How about we go get this fixed?" I said while looking at how choppy and short her hair was.

~

"Well, I think I can work with this." I heard the hairstylist tell Buffy. "What exactly would you like me to do?"

"Just make me....different." Buffy replied. To make her feel better, I ended up going with her to the salon, and after all the comments Spike had made about my hair recently, I decided to get it cut as well. I mean, might as well since I was here= plus, I had heard that females cheered up after getting their hair done with their friends. In the end I also got my hair dyed to a different color.

Leaving the salon, Buffy and I crossed the street while she was putting on her jacket. Going down the sidewalk, my ear twitched when I heard people arguing in an alley. _'Okay, don't look, Aud. People find it rude.'_ I reminded myself as we walked past. Suddenly, the Slayer and I were hit with something, knocking us off of our feet. Groaning as I got to my feet, I looked around.

"Buffy?"

"What?" Her voice came from right beside me, but I couldn't see her.

"Um, not trying to raise any alarms, but I can't see you."

"I can't see you either...." Looking down, I found out that I couldn't either.

"Well....is this a Sunnydale right of passage or something?"

"No." She chuckled. "Let's go find the guys, see if they have any ideas on what's going on."

~

"We're not inviting D'Hoffryn." I heard Xander say.

"I have to. He's my ex-boss." Anya replied and I saw them working on the seating arrangement for the wedding. "You're inviting your work buddies."

"She's got a point." Buffy stated.

"Hey, Buffy-" The human male cut himself off as he turned around. "Where-where are you?" He looked around while rising to his feet.

"At table four apparently." The Slayer popped off.

"Well, that remains to be seen....like you." Anya was looking around now as well.

"Don't strain yourself lookin', Xander." I stated. "We're invisible." The male began to wave his arms around.

"Uh, Xander?" Buffy said.

"Sorry!" He pulled his hands back. "Her clothes are, uh, invisible....too." Xander looked at Anya as she came from behind the counter and he was nervously shifting on his feet. "Buffy, Aud, how did this hap-" He cut himself off. "Wait a sec. Have you two been feeling ignored lately?"

"Yeah, ignored. I wish." I rolled my eyes.

"No, this isn't a Marcie deal." Buffy was standing next to me- I could tell from her heartbeat. "We left Main Street after getting our hair cut and was-"

"You guys cut your hair?" Anya interrupted.

"Oh, yeah."

"Really? How short?"

"Hm, about up to here. W-well, if you could see my hand, it's kind of above my shoulders."

"Ah, that sounds so adorable. What about Aud?"

"Just a few inches and a color change."

"Oh, what color?"

"Baby blue."

"You know, I was thinking about getting my hair cut before the wedding." Anya told us.

"Could we get back to freaking out about the no-show girls? This is serious." Xander looked at Anya.

"We know." Buffy and I said.

"It kind of fits the day we've had. Willow's still a wreck, Dawn's mad at all three of us, and the Social Services lady put me through a wringer." Buffy walked over to the desk and picked up a ball while tossing it up into the air and catching it. "She says she's gonna _watch_ me."

"I'd like to see her try now." I popped off while smirking.

"You know, there may be an upside to no-see me." Buffy grabbed another ball and put them together like eyes.

"Guys, did you see anyone or....anything suspicious before you...." Buffy stood next to Anya. "cleared up?" Xander waved his hands.

"Nope. Didn't see nothin'. Hmm. See what I did there with the eyeballs?"

"Why would anyone make them invisible anyway? I mean, invisible Slayer's gotta be way more effective than the standard variety." Anya said.

"Yeah. I'm less with the _'why'_ and more with the _'how'_. We get the _'how'_ , then we got how to make their unseen sight seen again, right?" Xander waved a hand.

"S'all right." I said while holding up a skull by Xander's shoulder.

"Nice." Buffy laughed while looking at me with the balls.

"You two, could you focus, please?" The human male looked at the floating balls and skull.

"We are." I move the mandible on the skull as I talked.

"Just- This is kind of fun." Buffy added.

"It would help if we had a little bit more to go on." Anya looked at Xander while Buffy and I put the balls and skull back where we had got them from. "Or anything to go on."

"Well, I could go check the spot where Buffy and Aud disappeared, you know, snoop for clues." Xander put his hands on his hips.

"Yeah. Right. Uh, hey, you know what? I-I'm just gonna go for a walk." Buffy said.

"A walk?"

"Yeah. You know, clear my head." The Slayer began to walk towards the door.

"I guess I can go look for something in the demon world." I looked at the guys. "I found that a lot of information can be found in demon bars."

"You guys keep working on the _'whats'_ and the _'hows'_." Buffy chuckled as I opened the door. " _'Clear my head.'_ "

"Buffy! Aud!" Xander called as we left.


	61. You are the dark, I'm the vampire (vampire)

Letting the crypt door swing open, I felt my tail swaying as I walked in and Spike looked utterly confused as he was standing in front of his fridge since he didn't see anything there. He put the lid back onto the jar of blood in his hand before setting it on top of the refrigerator. Walking the opposite way the vampire was, I went around the support column behind the TV while watching him.

"Whatever beastie you are, I know you're here, and I hurt beasties." Spike said as my tail twitched. "Hey, watch it." I walked past him, my tail hitting him as I went to turn off the TV. He sighed while rolling his eyes and I was rather amused so far. "A ghost, is it? Go and haunt the living like a good spook." Walking around him, I made my footsteps audible and he got this look on his face before he swung a fist.

Catching his arm, I smirked before tossing him back. Pinning him to the wall, I held his arms up with one hand and my tail. Ripping his shirt open with my free hand, I licked his chest. Nibbling on his neck, I began to purr.

"Aud?"

"I told you- stop trying to see me." Grabbing Spike, I pulled him off of the wall and jumped on him. Wrapping my legs around his waist, he began to kiss me as I pushed his shirt off of his shoulders. My purring grew louder as his hands went up my shirt and I unbuckled his belt. As he slipped his tongue past my lips we began to crash into things, knocking stuff over while trying to make our way downstairs.

Stumbling to the large bed, Spike was pulling off my clothes, tossing them around the room. The bleached blonde tossed me onto the bed before kicking off his pants while I took off my underwear. Tackling me into the sheets, he put my hands above my head. Nipping at my collarbone, he began to roughly massage my breast as I moaned.

Grinding his hips into mine, his cold body began to make my head spin as my skin felt like it was on fire. His touch made me understand why people were so into this sort of thing. It was like tasting the most succulent dish in creation- like biting into a forbidden fruit.

Thrusting his pelvis forward, I moaned while balling my hands into fists. I could feel my teeth and claws sharpening as I lost focus on keeping myself looking human. My face tingled as my markings appeared, and the vampire began to thrust his hips slowly, teasing me as I moaned. Spike let go of my hands to hold himself up over me and I dug my claws into the bed.

"Spike?" The bleached blonde paused while looking back and I froze. "What are you doing?" Glancing over, I saw Xander. _'Oh, my God!'_ I internally panicked. _'Wait a sec- I'm invisible!'_ Feeling relief wash over me, I mentally sighed.

"What am I- What does it look like I'm doing, you nit?" Spike popped off. "I'm exercising, aren't I?" He then began to do push-ups while thrusting harder. I gasped, covering my mouth to mute the moans. _'Oh, I'm so gonna kill him for this!'_

"Exercising....naked....in bed...." Xander stepped closer to the bed and the vampire pulled out before standing on the mattress. Taking the sheets to cover himself, he left me naked and exposed on the bed. _'Well....good thing I'm see-through.'_

"A man shouldn't use immortality as an excuse to let himself go." The bleached blonde walked to the end of the bed, hopped onto the floor, and sat on the edge. "You gotta keep fit for killin'."

"Yeah-huh." Xander just looked at him. "Looks like you had a little trouble upstairs- a mini disaster area." The human male gestured up with his head.

"So what, you just come here to criticize my housekeeping?"

"No. Uh, no." Xander shook his head. "I'm lookin' for Aud."

"Haven't seen her." Spike said almost immediately.

"Well, you wouldn't. Fact is, she and Buffy came down with a slight case of invisibility."

"Yeah? Huh. How did, uh-"

"We don't know yet." Xander said and I decided to take my revenge. Crawling to the end of the bed, I placed my hands onto the bleached blonde's shoulders before nipping at his neck and nibbling on his ear. Spike took in a sharp breath, making me smirk as he sat up straighter. "Anyway, she's not at the house, she's not answering her phone, and I really, really need to find her."

"I'll, uh, tell you what. I'll take a peek around first chance I get," He pushed his hand back at me, trying to get me to stop. "and, if we bump into each other, I'll clue her that you're on the lookout." I found it amusing to make the vampire squirm.

"After your....exercises." Xander waved a hand.

"Yeah, right." Spike pushed me back onto the bed.

"You know, kidding aside, Spike, you really should get a girlfriend." The human male shook his head while leaving. The bleached blonde sighed as I laid there, looking at his back.

"That was bloody stupid." He said over his shoulder before tossing the sheet onto me and walking to a dresser.

"Well, it was pay-back, and you know what exactly for. Come on. He had no idea I was here. This is perfect."

"Perfect for you." He said while slamming down a small glass cup. Grabbing a green bottle of booze, he poured himself a drink.

"Well, paint me confused. I thought this is what you wanted." I looked at him and he scoffed while putting down the bottle and picking up the glass.

"What I want?" He turned to face me, knowing where I was due to the sheet on me. "This vanishing act's right liberating for you, isn't it? Go anywhere you want, do anything you want." He waved the hand holding his drink. "Or anyone." Spike added while walking a few feet from the bed.

"What are you talking about?"

"The only reason you're here is that you're not here." The vampire pointed.

"Right, of course." I rolled my eyes. "As usual, there's something wrong with Aud. She came back all wrong." I said while sitting up. "You know, I didn't ask for this to happen to me."

"Not too put off by it, though, are you?" He took a drink.

"No. Maybe 'cause for the first time since ever, I'm free." Tossing the sheet off, I stood up while putting my hands onto my hips. "Free of rules and the Watchers Council breathing down my neck. Free of this life."

"Free of life?" Spike looked in the general direction I stood. "Got another name for that- _dead_." He nodded.

"Why do you always have to-" Sighing as I cut myself off, my tail began to sway while I walked around to bed to the bleached blonde. "I thought we were having fun." I said while pressing myself up against him.

"Yeah, now." The vampire grabbed my shoulders while holding me at arm's length. "But sooner or later, your chums are gonna work out a way to bring you back to living color." Letting me go, he looked away while shaking his head. "You need to go. Get dressed- if you can find your clothes- and push off." He pointed. "'Cause if I can't have all of you, I'd rather-" Spike stopped mid-sentence as I wrapped my hand around his dick and purred while stroking. "Hey, that's cheating."

~

"I can't believe this." I grumbled while kicking a can down the road. "He threw me out? Did I fall into some backward dimension here? I mean, he could have at least finished what he started!" Kicking the can, I continued to rant to myself. "And after he's always going on and on about being the only one that understands me." I then mocked Spike's voice. "We're alike, you and me. Birds of a _bloody_ feather." Rolling my eyes, I didn't understand why I was so frustrated. "Oh, he's just so- Hey, I'm walking here!" I said while having a group of people run into me.

When I got to an outdoor trashcan, I tossed the empty cola and completed my journey home. Going up the back porch, I entered the kitchen through the back door.

"Willow? Buffy?" I called, but there was no answer. "Dawn? You wanna see something neat? If Buffy hasn't already shown you." I mumbled the last part. Sighing, I looked around and went to the fridge. The back door opened as I was looking for something to eat.

"There you are!" I said while seeing Dawn. She gasped while looking around.

"Aud? Where are you?"

"I'm invisible. Check this out." I pulled out the pizza box and carried it to the island. "Whooo. Whooo. Unidentified flying pizza coming in for a landing."

"W-what are you talking-"

"Okay, I know not the most clever ad lib."

"Stop it. Just....stop."

"Sorry, Dawn. I didn't mean to freak you out...." I said while seeing the face the little Summers was making.

"What would you think would happen? You're freakin' invisible, Aud."

"I know. Buffy and I got hit with something. The guys are working on figuring out what it was." Grabbing a slice of pizza, I looked at her.

"What about you? Shouldn't you be working on it?"

"Of course, I-" Walking around the island I stood in front of her.

"Do you even care about-about who did this to you and Buffy or-or if you're gonna be stuck this way?" Dawn was taking this a lot differently than I had expected. "You're making jokes and flying pizzas."

"I don't-"

"I can't talk to you like this. I-I can't see you. How can I talk to you if I can't see you?" The little Summers hurried past me, bumping into my shoulder.

"Dawn! Dawn!" I called after her, but she wouldn't stop walking away. Sighing, I then noticed a message on the answering machine. Pressing the play button, I heard the message.

"Buffy, Aud, it's Xander. Where are you? Listen, we got a new problem here."

"Tell them." I could hear Anya's voice in the background.

"I'm trying to. Anya and I think whatever made you invisible is slowly killing you both."

"Tell them about the pudding."

"Anya!" There was a pause. "Guys, if we don't- If this isn't reversed, you're both gonna, well, dissolve or fade....into nothing." And that was the end of the message.

"Pudding?" I mumbled before walking to the front door. "Dawn, I'm going out to find Buffy and the guys! If they call-" I was cut off by the phone ringing. Closing the door, I went to answer it. "Xander?"

"Don't talk. Just listen, Slayer. You don't have a lot of time."

"Um, I'm not the Slayer."

"Oh....who are you then?"

"Aud, a very close friend. Who is this?" I heard some chuckling on the other end.

"Oh, the Slayer's pet."

"Hey! I am _not_ her pet! Wait....you sound familiar."

"I'm nobody." The male on the other end changed his voice. "No one you know. We've got your friend Willow, and if you don't want anything nasty to happen to her, you better get the Slayer to meet us....alone."

"Where?" I growled.

~

Walking into the arcade with Buffy, I made sure to stay as silent as possible. Sniffing, I touched Buffy on the shoulder.

"Willow's in the back." My voice was low to where only she could hear.

"Okay, come on." Walking past people and video games, we made our way to a pinball machine where Willow was standing. "You okay, Wil?" Buffy asked.

"Buffy?" Willow furrowed her brows.

"Where are the bad guys?"

"All around you, Slayer, so don't try anything." A voice came from the left of Willow.

"He's bluffing, Buffy. There-there's just three of them, I think." Willow shook her head.

"More than enough to cause some serious carnage, right, guys? ....Guys? Guys!"

"Kick! Use the kick!"

"I tried that. He keeps blocking it with his _Drunken Monkey Fist_." Two voice came from the direction of a video game with its joysticks and buttons moving.

"Ooh. Scary video carnage." Buffy popped off.

"Hey! Slayer's here."

"Sorry. Didn't see her."

"Why don't we continue this in a less crowded area, like over there?"

"Where?" Buffy and Willow asked.

"Over- Follow me." I saw a weird gun lifted up from behind Willow as she was dragged near the air hockey table.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess you're the ones that did this to us."

"Us?"

"It was an accident."

"Who's that?"

"Nobody you know." They changed their voice.

"They're the ones from your mystery van." Willow answered.

"Oh. You." Buffy said. "So what annoying thing are you gonna do to me now?"

"Save your life-make you visible."

"Right. I'm supposed to believe that?"

"They told me everything, Buffy." Willow shifted on her feet. "Something's happening to you and Aud, that you're-"

"Fading away. I know."

"I can fix that. Pick up that air hockey mallet on the table." The weird gun raised up.

"What for?" Buffy asked.

"It'll give me a target to aim at." The Slayer did as she was told and I got a skeptical feeling from the sound of his heartbeat. "Now hold still, and all your troubles will soon be gone."

"You're on the wrong setting." Willow furrowed her brows while looking at the gun.

"What?"

"The gun, it's not set for reversing the particle ionization. It'll accelerate her molecular dissolution. I saw the plans."

"Mind your own business."

"What's she talking about?" Another voice asked.

"That's what I'd like to know." Buffy popped off.

"Buffy, he's trying to kill you!" The male holding the gun hit the witch with it.

"Willow!" Buffy called and I growled while feeling my teeth get sharper. "Playtime's over." She said after throwing the mallet at the one with the gun.

"What is that noise?"

"You haven't won yet, Slayer.

"No. That part comes after we beat the snot out of you."

"You'll have to find me first. And there's three of us against one of you."

"Hey, you lied to us."

"Fight her yourself."

"You think she cares about that? I go down, we all go down."

"And I promise, you're all going down." Buffy popped off.

"We may not have your powers, Slayer, but you'll find that we are not so easy to- Ow! Get her!"

"Sic 'em, Aud!" Buffy said as she went after the one with the gun. Snarling, I attacked the other two as they were coming at the short blonde.

"She brought the demon!" One of the guys I was holding said. I tossed that one into the pinball machine, breaking the glass on it as people ran away screaming. I punched the other one into the ball-pit, and I could hear Buffy throwing punches.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Watch the chest hair!"

"Hey, I know that voice. You-you're-" Buffy was cut off as she was hit with the gun. She was holding up a familiar little pipsqueak. "Jonathan? You have chest hair?" Willow then aimed at the ball-pit. "Warren?" The witch shot at the pinball machine. "Who are you?"

"Andrew." The spiky haired blonde replied. Buffy shrugged while making a face. "I summoned the flying monkeys that attacked the high school." The Slayer and witch exchanged glances. "During the school play, you know?"

"He's Tucker's brother." Warren said after crawling out of the ball-pit.

"He's Tucker's brother." Jonathan repeated while helping Andrew off the pinball machine.

"Oh." Willow and Buffy said.

"So you three have, what, banded together to be pains in my ass?" Buffy asked.

"We're your arch _'nemesises-ses.'_ " Warren said.

"Oh, before we get any further, Wil, you mind shooting me?" I asked.

"Oh, right." The redhead nodded. "Uh, where are you?" Grabbing a ball from the ball-pit, I held it up so she would know where I was.

"Ah, much better to not having my cells dying."

"You may have beaten us this time, Slayer, but next time....um, uh, next time...." They began to walk towards the back door.

"Maybe not!" Jonathan threw down a smoke grenade.

"What do you mean it's locked?" Warren questioned as I saw them fumbling at the door. "You were supposed to check it."

"I forgot." Andrew said.

"I give you my arch _'nemesises-ses.'_ " Buffy gestured to the three males.

"What's going on in here?" We all looked back to see a cop. "I got a bunch of scared kids saying this place is haunted." I heard the back door slam and saw the trio were gone.

"Oh, my God. Buffy?"

"I know. They're gone."

"I guess we should chase them." I added while walking up to the Slayer and witch.

"No. You hair- i-it _is_ adorable." Willow said and Buffy looked momentarily confused before touching her hair. "Oh, and Aud! That's a pretty color."

"Uh, thanks." I smiled before we began to walk out of the arcade.

"It's pretty neat, you finding the van." Buffy said as we went out the door. "So.... how did you manage o do it exactly? I mean, to locate it."

"The hard way. The spell-free way, the ' _Oh, my God, my head's gonna fall off, my feet are killing me'_ way." Willow answered while still carrying the invisibility gun. She sighed while sitting on the curb and Buffy and I sat on either side of her. "I don't know how I got through this day."

"Well, the important thing is that you did." Buffy told her. "It's a good first step."

"How are you two doing, post-invisibleness?" Willow asked.

"Okay." The Slayer answered.

"I still have to do some damage control from my giddy-fest." I sighed. "Dawn was pretty freaked out."

"I guess the whole _'taking a vacation from us'_ thing didn't work out too well." Buffy added.

"Tell me about it." The witch said.

"Except, when I got Xander's message, you know, that I was....that we were fading away, I actually got scared."

"Same here." I looked at my hands.

"Well, yeah. Who wouldn't?

"Me." Buffy and I said at the same time.

"We wouldn't."

"Not too long ago, we probably would have welcomed it." I added. "I'm not saying that we're doing backflips about our lives, but...."

"We don't....wanna die." Buffy finished for me. "That's something, right?"

"That's something." Willow nodded. "So I guess we all made good first steps."

"I guess." I mumbled.

"Yay for us." The witch said with an unenthused voice.

"Yeah." The Slayer had the same tone.


	62. Women and children all disclaim

"It's wrong. Without labor, there can be no payment and vice versa." Anya was saying as she, Willow, and Xander were sitting around the coffee table, eating popcorn. "The country cannot progress. The workers are the tools that shape America." Anya pointed.

"Good to know." Buffy popped off.

"We were just kinda feeling like tools." I added while standing next to her.

"And now we know why." The guys all turned to look at us. I had finally found a job that was willing to let my blank spaces on the application pass and Buffy had decided to work there with me since it meant even more income for the house to pay the bills with. Too bad it was fast-food.

~

"You've seen us in your city or small town across the American West." The man narrating on the TV said. "You've ordered our delicious food from our happy employees. But now you're seeing it all in a new way. You're seeing it from _behind_ the counter, because you've just become part of the Doublemeat experience!" Sitting next to Buffy in the dark room, I held the goofy cow-chicken hat in my lap.

"I'm part of it!"

"I'm part of it."

"I'm part of it too." People were saying on the screen while smiling and working.

"This cow and this chicken don't know it yet, but they're destined to become part of it as well. So what happens when a cow and a chicken get together? Why, that's a Doublemeat Medley! Let's take a look now at the process of harvesting these two special meats." The training video then switched over to show how the cows and chickens were slaughtered.

"Holy crap." Buffy mumbled as I was starting to feel hungry.

"Washing your hands thoroughly after each visit to the restroom." The narrator continued. "Follow these rules, and you'll be a happy part of the Doublemeat family for a long time!" The lights were then switched on and I flinched from the sudden brightness.

"Interesting, isn't it?" The manager asked while looking at us.

"Oh, yes. Like how the cow and chicken come together even though they've never met." Buffy put on a smile. "It's like _Sleepless in Seattle_ if-if Meg and Tom were, like, minced." I didn't get the reference, so I assumed it was one of the TV shows she watched.

"I'm Manny the manager." The man said after turning off the TV. "It's not a joke. It's just my name."

"Right. You mentioned that a couple of times when we filled out the applications." I popped off.

"Why do you want to work here, Aud? Why do you want to work here, Buffy?" Manny asked while putting his thumbs behind his belt. "You seem like sharp young women, and there are a lot of other jobs."

"Well, I-I kind of need money pretty quickly-like today." Buffy replied. "So, I didn't want to go through a lengthy interview process, and I figured this was probably the fastest way....to- Because I wanted to be part of the Doublemeat experience?" Buffy said after seeing the manager's face. He then looked at me.

"To be a part of the Doublemeat experience."

"Mmm." Manny nodded with a smile. "Come on. Let's take a tour." Walking with him to the employee break room, he gestured to two guys at a table. "Phillip, Timothy, this is Buffy and Aud. they're gonna work the counter."

"Hi." Buffy gave a small wave while I shifted on my feet. The one with tattoos all over his crossed arms looked over.

"What happened to the other one- Katherine?"

"Emily?"

"Yeah."

"She's gone." The other guy at the table stated.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Whatever always happens." He replied. Manny then took us over to the lockers and opened two that had 'Vacant' written on tape stuck to them.

"You two can use these."

"Uh, there's someone's stuff in there." Buffy said.

"They must've left it." Manny glanced over. "You can toss it or keep what you want."

"Sure they're not coming back?" The little blonde questioned.

"We have a lot of turnover here." He then walked away from the lockers and pointed at some people. "Watch these two."

"Are they gonna do something?" I raised a brow as we followed Manny.

"They're solid. Follow their example, and you won't go wrong. They're lifers."

"Lifers?" Buffy and I said at the same time.

"In it for life. Like me." The manager looked back at us. "You want to get something out of this, you'll both do the same. You put the work in, and 10 years from now, you'll be where I am, I promise you." He pointed to the _'10 years'_ pin on his shirt. He then grabbed two cards and put them in the time-stamper. "Congratulations. You two are on the clock." Manny then handed the cards to us.

"This is the kitchen, the beating heart of the _Doublemeat Palace_." The manager said as we left the back of the building.

"Wow. They're all so identical." Buffy popped off while I was staring at the meat coming out of the grinder. _'Oh, this place is making me hungry....'_

"Yeah, they all start to look the same to me too."

"Oh, no. Not the employees, the chicken slices." Buffy clarified.

"Medley Meal number two, double size it, and a shake." A voice came on over a speaker.

"Drive-through station's over there." Manny told us. "High pressure job. You won't need to go in there. Over there is the grill, the fryers, the walk-in freezer." He pointed. "You don't need to go in there either!" The manager added when Buffy walked over to a filing cabinet and a big white bucket with _'dehydrated pickles'_ written on it. "That's the dehydrated pickle storage. "Those are locked." He said after Buffy tried to open a drawer. "Now, I want to show you two this."

"Two Double Medley Juniors. Uh, no tomatoes." The voice on the speaker said.

"Look. The Doublemeat Medley." Manny grabbed a burger and unwrapped it to show us.

"Oh, I know the Medley. It's just, uh, the video was kind of graphic, with the slaughter." Buffy waved a hand.

"A classic double-decker with a twist. A pure beefy patty above the mid-bun, and a slice of processed chicken product below the mid-bun. Plus pickles and the secret ingredient. Eat it." He held out the burger out to Buffy while handing me another one. Shrugging, I took it.

"Oh, you know, I had a big breakfast." Buffy shifted on her feet as I unwrapped the burger in my hands. "I'll just wait for-" She stopped after seeing the manager's face.

"It's actually not that bad, Buffy." I told her, and she hesitantly took the burger before sighing and taking a bite.

"Mmm. So, what is your secret ingredient?" The Slayer asked with her mouth full.

"It's a meat process." Manny nodded. "Now I think it's time to start earning your money. Don't you?" He asked while looking at us.

"Mm-hmm." I nodded.

~

"So, what's the deal with Manny the manager?" Buffy asked the guy at the register we were sent to. "If I ask him really nice, can I write a children's book called that?"

"Fill this while I get the fries." The tall blonde handed Buffy a cup.

"Fill this? I didn't know there was gonna be drug testing on this job." Buffy popped off.

"You're funny." The guy laughed. "You better stop that."

"Why?" I asked.

"Productivity- one of Manny's watchwords." He replied. " _'Levity is the time thief that picks the pocket of a company.'_ " He quoted while Buffy walked back from the soda machine.

"I prefer the one that goes, _'Manny's a humorless dolt who picks the pocket of he-should-bite-me.'_ " Buffy put her hands onto her hips and had to crane her neck to look at the guy.

"You really need to be quiet with that."  
He paused to hand a customer their meal. "Here you go. Thanks." The man smiled while taking the tray and walking away.

"I'd like a small coffee and cherry pie." An old woman walked up while smiling. The blonde male pushed some buttons on the register that had pictures of what the woman had ordered. _'Cool.'_ I thought.

"That's $1.92, ma'am."

"You hit so many buttons. It was like button-palooza." Buffy popped off.

"No, it's easy. I- Look. There are little pictures of the food on the buttons. I hit the coffee button, then I hit the small button, and then cherry pie." He pointed them out to the Slayer. "There's a picture of a little fried pie."

"Uh-huh." Buffy nodded.

"Then I hit the total button." He added while taking the money from the old woman. "I put the money in the drawer, I close it, and it resets the system. A cocker spaniel could do it." He then waved a hand at the next customers. "Here, why don't you take the next one, the family. They're regulars." He then went to get the woman her coffee and pie.

"Hi. I'm new." Buffy took over the register while I watched.

"I come here every day." The old woman smiled.

"That's nice." Buffy nodded.

"Oh, you really might make it, dear. Not like some of them, where suddenly you never see them again. I can see you here for a long time." She said and Buffy's smile fell.

"That's great."

"Thank you." The woman said while taking her food from the tall guy before he walked away.

"Hi. Welcome to the _Doublemeat Palace._ May I help you?" Buffy asked as the family walked up and I simply watched.

"Yeah." The man looked up at the menu while pointing. "We need two number four Medley Meals, a Junior Medley, a Fisherman's Medley with bacon, and a kid's meal, plus three fries, a chocolate shake, and extra pickles on one of the Medleys." He stated and Buffy was looking lost.

"Excuse me. Um, this button- Does it look chocolaty to you?" Buffy asked the man.

"Oh, here, let me." I stepped in front of the register. "Loving art, I have an eye for the smallest of details." Pushing the buttons for what the man had ordered, I looked at Buffy. "You mind getting the food?" Speaking lower, I added on. "I might eat it before getting back to the counter."

"Sure." Buffy nodded with a smile.

~

On our first break, Buffy and I ate food from the _Doublemeat Palace_. When we went back to work, I covered one register, taking orders from people while Buffy went and got the food. We made a pretty good team, and Manny didn't seem to mind how we were working since we were getting through orders quickly and helping more customers.

"Hey, Aud, Buffy!" Looking up, I saw Dawn with the guys walking up to the counter.

"We're here to support you two's subsistence-level employment. Bravo." Anya said as Buffy and I smiled at them.

"Thank you." I nodded.

"This is so cool of you guys." Buffy added.

"So, how's it going?" Xander asked.

"I don't know." Buffy shrugged. "I've waitressed before, but....this is different." Buffy looked at them. "Aud had to take over the buttons 'cause those burgers all look the same to me."

"Uh, when have you waitressed?" Dawn furrowed her brows.

"That summer in L.A. It was a diner, and we had, you know, lots of people who didn't tip, and funny, funny health-code violations," Buffy began while Willow was drumming on the straws. "but i-it wasn't like it is here. I think there's something wrong here."

"Wil, are you okay?" I questioned while looking at her hands.

"Sorry, I-I- Yeah. Uh, something's wrong?" Willow stopped drumming and put the straws back.

"There's-there's this manager, right?" Buffy leaned onto the counter. "And he's all scary and mysterious, you know? A-and there's this secret ingredient."

"And the people that work here, they're kind of strange. You know?" I added. "They just-just stare into space. Plus, they disappear."

"Disappear, poof?" Anya asked.

"No, not poof." I shook my head.

"Well, we don't think so." Buffy and I exchanged looks.

"It's fast food. I have swum these murky waters, my friends." Xander stated. "There's the assorted creepiness. There's staring. There's the enthusiastic not-showing-up-at-all. I think you two are seeing demons were there's just life." The human male pointed.

"W-we didn't say demons."

"It's just a vibe. I mean, you guys still haven't seen this manager."

"Well, isn't that him over there, getting the pickles wet?" Anya asked.

"Yeah, with the saddle shoes."

"And the glasses." Willow added.

"I don't know. Maybe it's just the video that's creeping me out, with the cow and the chicken all swirly together." Buffy cringed.

"Mmm. Make me hungry, why don't ya?" Xander popped off.

"I know, right? Couldn't get through the video without my stomach growling." I sighed and Buffy smacked my shoulder. "What?"

"Ew." Was all she said.

"I can't help it, I am carnivorous by nature. The sharp teeth aren't for display." Was my defense.

"How's about one of those delicious Medley Meals?"

"Okay, you got it." Buffy said while looking at the human male. "On me." She added before going to get it.

"Hey, thanks." Xander smiled. "See, I think she'll be fine when she settles into the routine. And by ordering, I'm helping."

"I don't think so. It is a little off here."

"Aud, you're half _demon_ surrounded by _humans_."

"Hey, I'm _always_ surrounded by humans." I gave a small pout.

"Yeah, us." Xander pointed. "Anya used to be a Vengeance demon, Dawn was a mystical key, I'm a demon magnet, and Willow used to be a....a Hogwarts student." He said to keep from saying 'witch'. It was obvious it was still a touchy subject.

"Touche." I sighed.

"If you like the food here, honey, maybe we should get it for the reception." Anya suggested.

"You're serving burgers?" Dawn smiled. "Cool. Heh."

"Well, time is running very short. After Willow gave us the _'whoosh'_ engagement party, I got slack on the planning 'cause I figured she'd help. But, well, now that's all been blown to Hell." The ex-demon said.

"Hey, standing right here." Willow furrowed her brows. "Standing right exactly here."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to tempt you." Anya nodded. "That one's so delicate." She then whispered to Dawn. "Anyway, I still have to select the bridesmaids' dresses, and, well, then there are the guests from out of town and the ones from the demon realm. You wouldn't believe how many of them have yet to let us know either way."

"Oh, speaking of which, do I still have to wear a dress?" I asked. "I mean, I could just wear a suit...." Trailing off as I saw Anya's face, I kind of got the answer to that.

"No, you have to wear a dress. It is customary- besides, I've never even seen you wear anything but those ripped jeans, and no, you cannot wear those either." The ex-demon pointed at me.

"There you go. And I double-sized it for ya." Buffy finally came back with Xander's food.

"Oh, thank you." Xander said with a weird voice before grabbing his burger and digging in.

"And cut way back on the cat." Buffy nodded.

"Cat?" Xander said with his mouth full.

"Just kidding." Buffy waved her hand and the human male chuckled.

"Probably." I pointed.


	63. You're not the wiser, you're not to blame

As the hours went on, it came closer to closing time and I was itching to move around or to at least stretch my muscles in a sparring session with Buffy. But, alas, this was not the Magic Box where I could do so, but instead the human and food Hell that made me stand behind a register all day.

"Slow night." Buffy sighed. "Gina." The Slayer went over to another worker and got her attention. "Since it's slow, you think they'll mind if I take another break?"

"We're not allowed. Downtime robs us all."

"Hm. Thus quoth Manny. There's no one here."

"Buffy!" I looked at her.

"Don't worry, I'll be back for you. Just think, when I come back, I can cover for you and then you can take a break." Buffy smiled.

"Fine." Rolling my eyes, I shifted on my feet. "Don't you dare forget about me." I pointed.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Aud." And the short blonde walked away while waving over her shoulder. Watching her go, I sighed.

"Someone's here." The old woman, Gina, gestured her head to the counter and I turned to look. I hadn't heard anybody walk over and I didn't smell them either. Seeing who it was, I understood why. The bleached blonde was looking up at the menu and I sighed again.

"What?"

"What's in the Doublemeat nuggets?" He asked.

"I'm working. Shoo." I waved a hand.

"Yeah, and you chose to be in the consumer service profession, and I'm a consumer." Spike looked at me while raising his brows. "Service me." He smirked while biting his bottom lip.

"Order something or go."

"Give a bloke a chance for his eyes to adjust." The vampire sighed while looking around. "Damn fluorescent lights. They make me look dead." _'You are dead.'_ Rolling my eyes, I put my hands into my back pockets. "Some demons love 'em. The way they vibrate makes their skin twitch. That the kind of demon you are, love?"

"No, it's not. And I'm only half demon."

"Oh." Spike nodded. "That why you took this job? Prove you still got enough human in you. A normal job for a normal girl." He then shook his head. "Good way to drive yourself crazy, that is."

"I'll be fine." I said flatly. Spike leaned forward while putting his hands onto the counter.

"Aud." He said lowly. "You're not happy here." The bleached blonde looked me in the eyes.

"Please don't make this harder."

"You don't belong here. You're something- You're better than this."

"We need the money."

"I can get money." He rolled his eyes. "Walk with me now. Come on." Spike gestured with his head.

"I-I need to go help Gary with the fries." Turning away, the vampire grabbed my arm.

"You gotta get out of here. This place'll do stuff to you." Jerking my arm away, I walked away. "This place'll kill you." There was something in his tone that made his words linger in my mind.

~

"Feels like I just left, you know?" Buffy asked as we were clocking in. The guy in front of us looked back with a sort of dead-fish look in his eyes.

"You two came back." He clocked in.

"We came back." Clocking in, we were headed to the front before we were stopped by the manager.

"Gary's gone."

"Gary?" My brows furrowed.

"Oh, the guy that helped us out at the counter yesterday?" Well, at least Buffy recognized the name even if I didn't.

"He didn't show up this morning." Manny nodded.

"Well, shift's just starting." Buffy pointed out.

"He was supposed to unlock early this morning. Didn't show. Pull his card."

"Well, I-I'm sure, you know, he's just late. He didn't seem like he was leaving." I looked at Buffy while grabbing Gary's card.

"I'm moving Timothy to counter. You're on grill."

"Me?" Buffy asked.

"I've been watching you."

"But I-I don't know how to grill."

"Just think- This is the last day you'll ever be able to say that." Manny grinned.

"Uh....what about me?" I asked while shifting on my feet.

"You're staying on counter." The manager smiled a me before letting us get to work. Glancing back at Buffy, I could see her _'help me, please'_ look on her face.

_'Sorry.'_ I mouthed to her before going to the counter. Not long after, Manny told me I was stuck with another double-shift. I didn't know whether to be happy about the extra money or to be upset that I was stuck here longer than before. It didn't help that I also had to cover the later on fryer and the counter.

Pulling the fries out of the fryer, I furrowed my brows since it was still boiling.

"It's boiling with nothing in it. Sometimes it does that." The tall, lanky, human male said while standing next to me. "They say bugs fall in there." Nodding my head, I just stared into the brown, bubbling liquid. "Oh, I'm back. You can go on your break now."

"Okay." I said while walking away. Glancing up, I saw Spike walking by through the window. He was looking at me and I jerked my head, gesturing to outside. The vampire seemed to get what I was meaning and walked away. If I couldn't loosen up with a sparring session with Buffy, I'd just do it by having sex with Spike during my break time. Sure, it wasn't the best thing to be doing, but....it was something different.

~

"I call an emergency meeting, and this is it?" Buffy said while dropping a _Doublemeat Palace_ sandwich onto the table between Dawn and Xander who were playing cards. "Where's Willow? Where's Anya?"

"I couldn't find Willow." Dawn said. "I knocked and knocked on her door."

"And Anya's entertaining a Vengeance demon named Hallie." Xander shifted in his seat. "Say, Buff, did you ever see Anya as a demon? 'Cause if that's it- whoa."

"There's something wrong at the _Doublemeat Palace_." Buffy stated.

"Something really wrong." I added as Buffy walked towards the front counter where I stood.

"Have you guys been demon fighting? Is that why you smell funny?" Dawn asked while following her sister.

"No, I'm talking about-" Buffy stopped and began to sniff herself. I didn't have to- my nose was strong enough to smell the fast food stink all over me. "Uhh! That's great. That's-That's just great. I try to do the simplest thing in the world, get an ordinary job in a well-lit place, and look- right back where I started. Blood and death and funky smells. Look." Buffy then pulled out something wrapped in a napkin. "Look what I found near the grinder." She said while showing the human finger.

"Ew. Wh-whose is that?" Dawn asked.

"We don't know. It might be this guy named Gary." I answered.

"The only one in the whole place who didn't seem all brain-dead. He didn't show up this morning." Buffy put her hands onto her hips. "Except now I think he was there the whole time as the secret ingredient."

"We need to analyze that burger. We need to find out if it used to be people." I looked at Buffy and Dawn.

"What?" Xander said and we all turned to him. "People?" He swallowed.

"Xander, you ate the burger?"

"Well, first you say it's cat. Then you come in, hand me a burger. Blah, blah, blah." He rose to his feet. "Five minutes later, _'Oh, and by the way, it happens to be hot, delicious human flesh'!_?"

"We needed that burger to analyze it. Now I'm gonna have to get another one." Buffy raised her voice a little.

"That's your problem with this scenario? You getting seconds?"

"Late. Late. Sorry." Willow came running in. "I-I was reading for school. Well, highlighting, anyway. Anyway, late."

"Yeah, you just missed the Gary burger." Xander looked ready to barf.

"What are we doing? Let's jump in. Did Xander say something about food?" Willow asked while setting her purse onto the table.

"You wouldn't want any." Dawn her. "Apparently, the Doublemeat Medley is people."

"Oh. Bad." Willow cringed while standing next to Xander.

"I bet it's not even just this one time, or even this one town." Buffy stated. "There are _Doublemeat Palaces_ all over California."

"I've eaten there a lot." Dawn said.

"Everyone has. They've got the perfect deal." I popped off. "Everyone expects high turnover of the employees. They get the meat for nothing, an-and they have us disposing of the bodies." Crossing my arms, I furrowed my brows. "I knew it tasted funny."

"How sick is that?" Buffy waved a hand. "We need to bring down the whole corporation." There was a pause. "Well, Xander ate the burger. Is there any way for sure to figure out what it was?"

"Oh, yeah." Willow gestured. "I can start analyzing it with science, not- I can use science. You ate it?" She looked at Xander and he pointed a finger.

"Um, we have the wrapper. There's little scribbles of meat on the wrapper." Dawn said.

"Okay, good. You guys get working on that. It's after closing, so I'm gonna go there and see what I can find out." Buffy grabbed her jacket and bag.

"All right, let's go." I nodded, but stopped when Buffy turned to me.

"Um, actually, I want you to stay here." There was a strange look on the Slayer's face.

"Why?"

"Aud, no offense, but you _are_ half demon. You've eaten a lot of those burgers, and I want to be sure you'll be okay after doing that." Buffy shifted on her feet.

"You mean you want Willow to make sure I don't start craving highly evolved bald apes." I stated.

"Yeah. No hard feelings?" Buffy sort of cringed.

"Nah, but if I do get hooked on people burgers, I'm totally gonna bite you." I joked while pointing at her and Buffy chuckled before leaving.

"Hold on, Aud could be into human flesh now?" Xander paused. "If she starts eating people like she does PB&J's, we'll be extinct within a week."

"Hey, I don't eat them that much!" I gave the human male a look.

"Aud, how many times do you have to go out to buy more peanut butter, jelly, and bread?" Dawn crossed her arms. Thinking, I pointed.

"Okay, lock me in the back room to be safe."


	64. Stick 'em in a casket next to mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: Mature content ahead, proceed at own risk!*

Panting and moaning as things were crashing to the floor, Spike and I were rolling around under the carpets and knocking things over as we were having sex. The vampire fell onto his back beside me after we finished, and I felt my tail twitch.

"We missed the bed again." I said while breathing heavily.

"Lucky for the bed." Spike popped off and I chuckled while propping myself up with my elbows.

"Is this a new rug?"

"Mm, no. Just looks different when you're under it." The bleached blond replied.

"You know," I sighed. "this place is pretty all right for a hole in the ground. You fixed it up."

"Well, I ate a decorator once. Maybe something stuck."

"I've been thinking about doing something to my room." I looked at Spike.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Even though I paint a lot, my walls are all bare and it's starting to bug me." The bleached blonde chuckled.

"Well, if you want, I can-" He cut himself off. "Are we having a conversation?"

"What? No. No way." I shifted. "Maybe."

"Hmm."

"What?"

"Well, isn't this usually the part where you kick me in the head and run out, virtue fluttering?" He looked towards the exit.

"That's the plan, as soon as my legs start working." I popped off, making him laugh.

"You were amazing." Spike said while running a hand up my arm. Looking at him, I sort of smirked.

"You got the job done yourself."

"I was just trying to keep up." He then looked me in the eye. "The things you do. The way you make it hurt in all the wrong places. I've never been with such an animal."

"I am _not_ an animal." I glared. "Just 'cause I got a tail doesn't mean anything."

"You wanna see the bite marks?" He raised his eyebrows at me.

"You know, it's late. I should get home before Dawn and the guys go to sleep."

"And she's off." Spike sighed as I went under the rug to look for my clothes.

"Have you seen my underwear?"

"What is this to you- this thing we have?"

"What? We don't have a ' _thing_ '. We have ' _this'_. That's all." I popped my head out and he was looking at me.

"Do you even like me?" The bleached blonde questioned.

"There are times when I can tolerate you more than others."

"But you like what I do to you." Averting my gaze, I shifted on my elbows. "Do you trust me?" Looking back at him, I saw him giving me a look with an emotion I couldn't name in his eyes.

"I shouldn't."

~

"Hey. Sorry I'm late." Tara came hurrying up to the front counter after I handed a customer their order.

"Oh, time has no meaning here." Looking over to the old woman at the other register, I took off my hat. "Gina, I'm gonna take a break. I'll be back in a bit." Turning back to Tara, I gestured with my head. "This way." Heading to the break room, Tara grabbed a chair and sat cross-legged in it while looking around at all of the posters.

"I have this sudden urge to dedicate my productive cooperation." The witch said as I handed her a drink.

"Well, if you close your eyes and repeatedly smash yourself in the head with frozen meat, it'll go away." I took a seat across from her, setting my hat onto the table. "Eventually. I'm hoping. Thanks for coming by." Leaning my elbows onto the table, I looked at her.

"Is it bad?"

"I was sort of hoping you could tell me."

"I knew this was gonna happen." The witch sighed while shaking her head. "What did Willow do now? Did she-she hurt anyone?"

"What? No, no, no!" I waved my hands. "Um, Tara, this isn't about Willow."

"Oh, I-I thought that's why you didn't wanna meet at the house."

"Uh, sorry. It's, um- Willow's fine. She's been doing really well. You'd be proud of her." I gave a reassuring smile while nodding.

"Good. That's-that's good." She nodded. "So-so, what do you wanna talk about?" Tara asked and I sighed.

"It's Spike." I said and she looked confused. "He can hurt me....without his head exploding." Shifting in my seat, I looked at the witch.

"Oh, my God. His chip stopped working?"

"No. It still works. Just not on me anymore." Pausing, I saw that she was still confused. "I-I need to know about the spell-the one that brought Buffy and me back. I'd ask Willow, but...."

"You think it's you?"

"Well, I _am_ part demon. We just assumed the chip worked with me because of my human half, but now I think the machine was confused on what to put me down as." Looking down at my hands, I continued. "And I feel....different. There are things that-" I cut myself off. "I think maybe I came back wrong....more demon."

"No, Aud, that's n-not- No!" Tara shook her head. "You didn't."

"Can you check out the spell? Just see if there's something that- Could you just check, please?" I asked.

~

"We're home!" I called as Buffy and I walked into the house. Buffy put down her jacket while I was pulling mine off.

"Who wants to help scrape the grease off my- Is there singing?" Buffy sounded confused.

"Are we singing again?" Buffy and I got worried as we saw Xander and Dawn dancing in the living room.

"Nope. Just the dancing." Xander replied.

"We're teaching Dawn perfectly synchronized dance steps for the wedding reception." Anya told us. Dawn giggled as she was dipped and the human male looked up.

"Wanna go for a spin?" He asked Buffy.

"Nah. I think I'm heading more towards an ungainly collapse." The Slayer stated while going to the couch.

"Oh. Rough day?" Willow questioned.

"Kinda." I sighed while plopping down on the arm of the couch.

"You guys have been going at it too hard. We hardly ever see either of ya." Xander put his hands into his pockets while Dawn crossed her arms. "What with slingin' the Doublemeat and poundin' the big evil."

"Yeah. You both are looking a little pounded." Buffy gave Anya a look. "Just around the eyes."

"We-we're thinking of heading to _The Bronze_ later." Willow smiled. "Wanna come, get all unwindy?"

"Tall glasses of frosty relaxation on me. Nectar of the working man." Xander suggested.

"No, thanks. I think I'll stay here with Dawn." Buffy smiled. "Curl up on the couch with a big bowl of popcorn and-" She was interrupted by a car horn honking outside. "Listen to the cars honk? Where are you going?" She asked as Dawn went and grabbed her jacket.

"Um, sleeping over at Janice's."

"And we're falling for that again because of the surprise lobotomy?" I popped off.

"It's okay. I checked it out." Willow said. "Janice's mom is picking her up."

"Oh." Buffy had this look on her face.

"I didn't think you'd care." Dawn's voice was quiet. "You're never home, so...."

"I know." Buffy rose to her feet. "I'm sorry, you know." She waved a hand. "But I-I'm here now, all visible and everything. Couldn't you just stay at Janice's another night?"

"Her mom's cooking Mexican. She's gonna teach me how to make real tortillas." Dawn's smile sort of fell. "Not like I knew you'd be around." The car honked again and the little Summers was gone.

"Frosty nectar, now, please." Buffy said while looking at us.

~

"We're not gonna have to do that at the wedding, are we?" Willow asked as we watched Xander and Anya dancing at the club. "'Cause there's this last thread of dignity I've been desperately clinging to." I smirked at her comment.

"You're still doing okay, right?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah." The redhead nodded. "You know, some days are harder than the really hard days. I-It's easier like this, though, when I'm not alone."

"Sorry we haven't been around that much." I shifted in my seat.

"Oh, no. That's not- It's okay. We-we know you've been all tied up." Willow waved a hand.

"What?" I looked at the witch.

"With your jobs and the slaying." Willow glanced at Buffy and I.

"Hey, I see sitting where there should be dancing." Xander said while standing next to Anya and looking down at us.

"Come share in the joy of our groove thang." Anya smiled while swinging her arms.

"And despite that, I succumb to the beat." Willow smiled.

"I think I'll catch the next soul train out." I waved a hand as Buffy followed the witch.

"You sure?"

"Oh, yeah. You know, glass all the way empty. More nectar required." Holding up my cup, I smiled.

"Cool. Well, shimmy on out when you're done lubricatin'." Xander pointed to the dance floor. My smile faded as I watched the guys having fun. Sighing, I stood up and headed to the back. Putting my cup onto the bar, I waited for the workers to finish with their other customers.

Waiting to catch their attention, I just shrugged my shoulder. _'Screw it.'_ Leaving the cup. I headed to the stairs leading up to the second floor. Passing all of the humans, I went and leaned on the rails. Looking down, I could see the guys dancing together and laughing, and a small smile pulled at my lips as I watched them.

"You see, you try to be with them, but you always end up in the dark....with me." Spike's voice was low as he came up from behind me. "What would they think of you if they found out all the things you've done?" The vampire ran a cold hand over my shoulder. "If they knew....who you really were?"

"Don't." I spoke to him lowly as his hand felt down my thigh.

"Stop me, then." Spike said as his hand came back up and slipped past the waistband of my jeans. My hands gripped tightly to the rails as I stifled a moan. "No. Don't close your eyes." I hadn't even noticed I had closed them. "Look at them." He told me as I glanced down. "That's not your world. You belong in the shadows....with me." The bleached blonde whispered in my ear as I was starting to pant. "Look at your friends and tell me you don't love getting away with this....right under their noses." His cold lips brushed against the back of my neck in a tantalizing way.

God, why did I like how he made me feel so much? It was too....addicting.

~

Walking through the cemetery with a wooden stake carried in my tail, I blindly headed to somewhere familiar. Having my hands in my back pockets, I went past graves, tombs, and crypts until I found a certain one. Going up a set of concrete steps, I paused just outside of the entrance. Placing a hand onto the door, I hesitated and contemplated about going in.

_'This has to stop....'_ I thought as my tail twitched and I shook my head before walking away. Slipping into the woods, I had to keep myself from turning back.

"Don't think about the evil bloodsucking fiend. Focus on anything but the evil bloodsucking fiend." I then heard a woman screaming. "Thank you." Glancing to the heavens before I ran off, I thanked the stars. Running into a clearing, I saw a demon roaring as it chased a human woman. Tackling it to the ground, I furrowed my brows. It was gone. "What the....?" Looking around while rising to my feet, I was utterly confused.

Suddenly, I heard sobbing and turned to see a woman on the ground in the fetal position. Taking a few steps toward her, I made sure to keep my tail out of sight.

"It's okay. I'm gonna get you outta here." I said in a calm voice while approaching her. "Can you walk? Are-are you hurt?"  
Reaching a hand out, I began to hear multiple voices whispering. I turned on my heels to look, but saw no one.

_"Aud, what did you do? What did you do, Aud?"_ The whispers grew louder and louder until I had to cover my ears.

"Ow! Bloody Hell. What'd you do that for?" My brows furrowed as I was suddenly standing above Spike while he was on the ground.

"Spike?" I said as the bleached blond felt his lip. Then I was somehow back with the human woman and fighting off a bunch of tall, robed demons.

"Aud!" I heard the vampire shout just as a demon punched me. Looking back, I saw myself in the clearing again with no sign of the demons.

"Spike, what's happening?"

"So you thought you could just slip away then?" He smirked and I noticed his lip was no longer busted. "Vampire, remember?" Spike walked towards me and I let the confusion show on my face as I tried to figure out what the Hell was going on. "I could feel you."

And I was back to fighting the demons. Swinging my fist after taking one down, I accidentally hit Spike. "Ow! Bloody Hell! What'd you do that for?" A sobbing woman walked past and laid on the ground a few yards away.

My head jerked up as I saw three demons materializing and running at me. Fighting, I blocked their hits and counterattacked. My head began to feel dizzy as I went from attacking to being alone in a clearing to attacking again.

"Aud!" Spike shouted as one of the demons punched me. Kicking them, they went to their knees. Punching repeatedly, the demon was going down just as I felt a hand on my shoulder. Swinging back, I saw too late that it was the human woman. My blood ran cold as I saw her rolling down the hill limply, not trying to stop her decent at all. Rushing to check on her, I already knew there was nothing I could do. I had punched with the intent to kill those demons, there was no way a mere human could survive that strike.... Checking her pulse, my heart stopped.

"No...." I mumbled before falling back onto my knees. My ears couldn't detect a heartbeat, and the scent of death was already starting to come off of her. Staring at the woman, I somewhat recognized her. She was one of the people Buffy and I had saved before.

"Aud." I heard Spike's footsteps in the dead leaves covering the ground.

"She's dead. I killed her." Looking at her, I felt cold. _'I killed a human.'_

"We have to go." The vampire said.

"What happened?" _'I killed a human.'_

"There's nothing you can do now. We have to go before someone sees you."

"What did I do?" _'I killed a human.'_

"We have to go now." Spike pulled me to my feet and was dragging me away from the woman. "All right. Listen to me, Aud. Aud!" The bleached blond held me by my shoulders and looked at me.

"She's dead."

"It was an accident."

"I killed her."

"I'm gonna get you home."

"No." ' _Buffy will kill me.'_

"I'm gonna get you home, and you're gonna crawl in your warm, comfy bed and stay there." Spike shook my shoulders. _'I killed a girl....I did come back less human.'_ "We're gonna sort this out. Trust me." Looking at him, I felt so cold. _'I'm a demon. I'm what Buffy hunts. I killed a human, I deserve to be slayed.'_

~

In bed, I kept tossing and turning in my sleep. The voices from the forest kept filling my head, refusing to shut up.

" _What did you do, Aud? What did you do?"_ They were repeating those questions over and over again.

"It's all right, love." I woke up, feeling my claws digging into my pillow. "Shh. Don't worry." Spike gently touched my arm. "It'll be our little secret." He whispered before kissing my shoulder. Rolling over, I just wanted to forget. Images of Spike and the woman I killed kept flashing in my head, me continuously killing her in the end.

Gasping, I sat up in bed, truly waking up this time as I was panting and I smelt something burning. Turning around, I saw my pillow singed and my blanket and sheets were burnt. Looking at my hands, I saw that I was in what I called my ' _Full Demon Mode_.' Shaking my head, I hid all of my demonic traits and trashed the ruined pillow and bedspread before anyone could see it. This was bad. This was so, so incredibly _bad._

Wandering into Dawn's room, I didn't know what to do. If I couldn't tell Buffy, I had to at least tell Dawn. Gently sitting on the edge of the girl's bed, she stirred before looking at me.

"Hey." I whispered softly.

"What time is it?" Dawn asked while still only being mostly asleep.

"It's late. I just wanna...." Trailing off, I took in a deep breath. "I love you. You know that, right? You and Buffy both."

"What's wrong?" Dawn sat up and was fully awake now from the tone in my voice.

"I know I'm not really your sister, but you and Buffy made me feel like it. I love you guys. I always will." I told the little Summers girl.

"Why are you talking like this? Aud?"

"There was an accident....i-in the woods." As I talked, the emotions on Dawn's face began to change. "A girl. She was hurt." Swallowing, I looked at Dawn. "I hurt someone."

"Oh, my God. Is she all right?"

"No." I answered while feeling a lump in my throat. "I'm sorry." The human girl grabbed me in a hug and that's when I got to my point. "There's something I have to do. I have to tell what I did. I have to go to the police."

"The police?" Dawn pulled back.

"Dawnie, I have to."

"But....what's going to happen?"

"I don't know." I lied. "But Buffy will take care of you, so it'll be okay."

"They'll take you away, won't they?"

"I'm sorry." Looking down, I balled my hands into fists in my lap.

"No, you're not. You're never here. You can't even stand to be around me." Dawn's eyes began to water up.

"That's not true." I shook my head.

"You don't wanna be here with me. You didn't wanna come back. I know that. You were happier where you were. You wanna go away again." Dawn looked so hurt.

"Dawn-"

"Then go." She kicked off her blankets and scrambled off of her bed. "You're not really here anyway." Dawn hurried out of her room. Swallowing, I rose to my feet and left the Summers home.

~

"What do you think you're doing?" A voice came from behind me as I was rounding the corner to the police station.

"The right thing." Two hands grabbed me and pulled me back before tossing me to the ground.

"Sorry, love. Can't let you do that." Spike stated as I got to my feet.

"I have to tell them what happened." I balled my hands into fists at my side.

"Nothing happened."

"I killed that girl."

"Demons in the woods?" He raised his brows. "Time going wonky? They won't believe you."

"I'll show them."

"Show them what?"

"What did you do?" I asked after a pause.

"I took care of it."

"What did you do?" I rose my voice.

"What I had to. I went back and I took care of it. It doesn't matter now. No one will ever find her." Spike replied.

"Where'd they find her?" My ear twitched as I heard some cops talking.

"The river. She washed up half a mile from the cemetery."

"Oh, balls." Spike clenched his jaw while rolling his eyes and shaking his head. "There still isn't anything to connect this to you."

"It doesn't matter."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I _killed_ her! A _human_ girl!" I nearly shouted.

"It was an accident. It just happened."

"Nothing just happens." I told the bleached blonde before walking past him to get to the police station.

"You are _not_ going in there." Spike grabbed my arm.

"I have to do this. Just let me go."

"I can't. I love you."

"No, you _don't._ "

"You think I haven't tried not to?" The vampire looked at me and I swung a fist.

"Try harder." I told him after he crashed into some trashcans. Walking to the front of the station, I was grabbed before I could turn the corner again. Scrambling to my feet after tripping to the ground, I looked at Spike as he had his fangs out.

"You are not throwing your life away over this." The vampire told me.

"It's not your choice." I said while baring my teeth.

"Why are you doing this to yourself?" He asked me.

"A girl is dead because of me!" I pointed to myself.

"And how many people are alive because of you? How many have you saved? One dead girl doesn't tip the scale."

"That's all it is to you, isn't it?" Looking at the bleached blond, I felt so off. "Just another body."

"Aud." Spike sighed.

"You can't understand why this is killing me, can you?!" Punching him in the gut, he doubled over.

"Why don't you explain it?" Kicking, he managed to block it, but I landed a punch to his face. "That's it. Put it on me. Put it all on me." He said as I kept hitting him. "That's my girl."

"I am _not_ your girl!" I uppercut the bleached blond, sending him flying back. Grabbing the front of his shirt as I straddled his torso, I swung my fist. "You don't have a soul!" Feeling the tears coming hot down my cheeks, I looked at him. "There is nothing good or clean in you! You are dead inside!" I began to punch him again as I felt all the frustration bubbling up. "You can't feel anything real! I could _never_ be your girl!" My fist kept swinging until I finally noticed how badly he was hurt.

"You always hurt the one you love, pet." Spike said, and I got to my feet while looking at his bloody and swollen face. "Aud?" He questioned as I walked towards the police station. "Aud!"

Pushing through the door, I could hear the phones ringing and all of the radios and people talking inside. Heading to the cop at the front desk, I wiped the tears from my face.

"No. No statements, not until I get confirmation." The cop was saying into the phone.

"Excuse me. I need-"

"I'll be with you in a sec." He raised his hand to stop me. "Sunnydale P.D." Turning away, I went to go sit down and wait, but I froze when I heard what the cop was saying on the phone. "You got an ID on that body yet? Yeah? Okay, shoot. Katrina Silber. S-I-L-B-E-R." And that's when my brows furrowed as I remembered who exactly she was. She was the girl Buffy and I saved from _Warren's_ robot girlfriend.

"Warren." I mumbled, realizing what might have actually happened out in the woods.

~

"Is this what you saw?" Anya asked me while showing me a book.

"Yeah, that's it." I nodded.

"The Rwasandi. Very rare." Anya stated. "Its presence in our dimension causes a sort of....localized temporal disturbance."

"So that's why time went all David Lynch?" I looked up at the ex-demon.

"Right. Human perception is based on a linear chronology, which you must also have. Being exposed to the Rwasundi for more than a few second can cause, uh, vivid hallucinations and a slight tingly scalp." Anya sat down.

"So, that's it. These things just made you think you killed her." Willow said.

"Yeah. She was probably dead long before you stumbled across her." Xander added.

"It wasn't the demon. It was Warren." Buffy shook her head. "He knew Katrina. He had something to do with it. I know it." The Slayer looked at me.

"How can you be sure?" Willow asked.

"You always hurt the one you love." I said lowly, softly repeating the words the vampire had told me.

"Does this mean you're not going away?" Dawn questioned.

"Yeah. I'm not going anywhere." Smiling, I rose to my feet. The little Summers ran to the training room and slammed the door behind her.

"We need to find Warren and the others." Buffy stated. "Whatever they've done, they're not gonna get away with it."

~

"Are you sure?" I asked while sitting on the coffee table across from Tara.

"I-I've double-checked everything. There's nothing wrong with you." The witch smiled.

"Then why can Spike hurt me?"

"Well, I-I said that there was nothing wrong with you, but....you are different." Tara looked at me. "Shifting you and Buffy out of-from where you guys were-funneling your essence back into your body, i-it altered you on a basic, molecular level, probably just enough to confuse the sensors or whatever in Spike's chip. But it's all just surface-y, physical stuff. It wouldn't have any more effect than a bad sunburn." Listening to her, I looked down at my hands.

"I didn't come back wrong?"

"No. You're the same Aud- with a deep, tropical cellular tan." Tara joked.

"You must of missed something. Will you check again?" I looked back up at her.

"Aud, I promise. There's nothing wrong with you." Tara shook her head.

"There has to be." I stated while balling my hands into fists. "This just can't be me. I-it isn't me." Shaking my head, I averted my eyes. "Why do I feel like this? Why do I let Spike do those things to me?"

"You mean hit you?" The witch asked. I just gave her a look and her brows furrowed. "Oh. Oh....really?"

"He's everything I dislike. He's everything that I was raised to be against, but the only time that I ever feel anything is when-" I cut myself off, not wanting to finish what I was saying. "Don't tell anyone, please."

"I-I won't." Tara shook her head.

"Oh, the way they would look at me- the way Buffy would look at me. I just couldn't...."

"I-I won't tell anyone. I wouldn't do that." The witch shook her head again and her heart and voice were sincere.

"Why can't I stop?" I questioned while putting my head into my hands. "Why do I keep letting him in?"

"Do you love him?" Tara asked and I looked up at her. "I-It's okay if you do. He's done a lot of good, an-and he does love you. An-and, Aud, it's okay if you don't. You're going through a really hard time, and you're...."

"What? Using him?" Shaking my head, I couldn't understand how I felt. "What's okay about that?"

"It's not that simple." Tara sighed.

"It is. It's wrong. An-and I don't know if I love him. I don't know how I feel about him. I don't know any of it-I've never been through it before. I've never loved, never felt attraction, never thought about any of this before." I told her honestly.

"I-it's okay, Aud. You'll-you'll figure it out, I promise. Just know, either way, we will be here for you." She gave a reassuring smile before putting a hand on my knee.


	65. Then we will see who is alive

"I'm sorry." Buffy sighed while grabbing wooden stakes off of the little table by the comfy chair.

"It's okay." Dawn smiled.

"No. We're gonna sit down and have a real dinner-someday." I looked at her while putting a couple daggers into the bag Buffy had put the stakes into.

"We hate having to run out in the middle."

"It's just, you know, there's this thing out there. Definitely non-vampire and definitely not me." I added.

"I understand." Dawn nodded. "W-well, maybe when you guys get back, we can set up for the party tomorrow." She suggested as Buffy carried the bag towards the door and I grabbed her coat. Holding it up, the Slayer slipped an arm into it while looking at her sister.

"Yeah. Uh, this could take a while, though. I-I wouldn't wait up." Buffy said honestly. "Besides, Willow promised to be on birthday patrol, so there's nothing left for us to do."

"Right." Dawn put her hands onto her hips.

"So finish your dinner, homework, and don't stay up too late, all right?" I pointed.

"Okay." The little Summers nodded and Buffy and I were off.

"Okay."

~

Patrolling, Buffy was carrying her axe while I just had my teeth, claws, and tail out. We were walking past some headstones, looking for the demon that was out here. It didn't take long for us to find it since the thing came charging right at us from behind while roaring like some idiot.

Buffy blocked its sword with her axe, but it got bent in the process before the demon managed to disarm the Slayer. When I went to punch it, the thing sort of just melted into nothing. Buffy and I exchanged looks before glancing around.

When the big, red demon materialized again, Buffy kicked him in the gut, making him stumble back. I gave an uppercut, then kicked the sword out of his hand. The weapon flew up into the air as I punched again and I moved out of the way as Buffy used the demon's own blade to impale it. There was a pulse, throwing us both back.

"Run off, huh?" Buffy said when we saw the demon was gone and no body was in sight. "Afraid to face true warriors?" The little blonde woman then noticed the sword. "Ooh, shiny." She grinned while grabbing it. She swung it around, testing it out and I chuckled.

"How many of your weapons used to belong to demons?" I asked.

"Oh, just a few." Buffy smirked.

~

"We're feeding an army." Xander said while Anya was making food for the party.

"No, they couldn't make it." Anya smiled. "We're just feeding an Aud." She added while smacking my hand away from the plates.

"So who's coming? You invite anyone else?" Xander asked Buffy.

"Just you guys. Willow, Tara, the gang. Oh, and Sophie from work." Buffy replied. "What, like I'm one of those losers who can't make friends outside her tight little circle?" The Slayer asked. "No. I'm friendly. We bonded instantly. Peas in a pod. Bonded peas."

"One of the losers who can't make friends outside of her tight circle." I raised my hand and Buffy gave me an apologetic look.

"Really? Um, what's Sophie's last name?" Anya questioned and there was a pause.

"Okay. Shut up." Buffy pouted.

"Don't worry about it." Xander waved a hand. "We're all over the ' _new friend_ ' thing."

"What _'new friend'_ thing?" I asked when I saw their faces.

"Well-well, we invited someone for you." Anya said to Buffy. "A guy." She smiled. "And he's bringing a friend for Aud, too."

"Really?" Dawn asked while walking in.

"Ah, don't worry. It's not a setup." Xander leaned on the island.

"Right. No." Anya pointed while smiling. "Just attractive single males with whom we hope you find much in common.

"Yes, a human. He better be easy on the eyes to make up for it." I popped off while snatching some food off one of the platters. There was silence and I looked up to see their faces. "Oh, yeah." I said after swallowing. "Turns out I'm straight."

"What? When did you find out?"

"Better yet, _how_?"

"Well, I kind of figured I was hetero when I found myself staring at a guy's ass while walking down the sidewalk and having the urge to just grab it." I shrugged while lying. Like I'd tell how I really found out.

"I assume that this was an act of kindness?" Buffy asked after clearing her throat. "That'll help with the not throttling."

"Hey, I'm just gonna get this stuff out there. People should be here soon." Xander quickly said before grabbing a platter. I grabbed one as well, following the human male to the living room. Walking towards the door, Tara came in.

"Ah, you made it!" I smiled at her while balancing the platter on my tail so I could give her a hug.

"Of course, sweetie." Tara smiled back. "How are you doing?" She asked.

"Oh, you know. Better. Mostly. Sometimes." I replied while fiddling with the ring on my necklace.

"So is, um, Spike coming?" She asked.

"No. He may be a chip-head, but he still doesn't play too well with others." I answered as she put down her coat. "Besides, I'm definitely not ready to...."

"Come out."

"Yeah." I nodded. "I'm all ' _stay-inny_ ' as Buffy likes to put it." Shifting on my feet, I looked at the witch. "How are you doing?"

"The word 'gulp' comes to mind." Tara sort of cringed.

"Just remember, we're all here to, uh-" Glancing up, I saw Willow coming down the stairs. "I have to- With the thing- That idea- Coming!" I carried the platter the rest of the way to the living room. Setting it down, I went back to the kitchen to grab another platter. Arriving, I saw Xander had already gotten the rest of them. Picking up a cup, I sighed while pouring a drink. "Hey, how did it-"

"Yes, please." Tara took the cup from my hand and drank. ' _Man, must have been somethin' with Willow.'_ I thought just before there was a knock at the back door.

"Spike." I stood up while seeing the vampire walk in.

"Yeah. Willow mentioned the shindig." He pointed as a demon followed him in. "Figured we're all part of the team." Tara and I looked at each other. "Thought I'd swing by."

"Wait. What kind of team is this?" I asked while looking at the other demon.

"Hi." He waved. "We met once before."

"Yes. Yes, we did." I nodded. "At _kitten_ poker." I sent Spike a look as the wrinkly demon smiled and nodded.

"You know, more the merrier. That whole thing." Spike said while holding a six-pack of beer under his arm.

"Hi. I'm Clement, or Clem." The floppy-eared demon waved.

"Tara." The witch waved.

"Aud, Johnson." Xander waved to a guy who followed him into the kitchen.

"Hey." I gave a two-fingered salute. The man sort of smiled and I just looked at his messy head of black hair and brown eyes.

"He was wondering where the best place was to park his car." Xander put his hands onto his hips.

"Oh, that's easy. Just-"

"Aud will show you." Xander cut me off while pushing the guy forward and walking off.

"Okay. Uh, I'll be right back." Glancing over at Spike, I saw him raising an eyebrow before I began to walk away.

"Um, the guy with the-"

"Skin condition." I made an excuse for Clem's appearance. "He doesn't like to talk about it." I added to make sure he wouldn't ask questions.

After showing the guy where to park his vehicle, I went upstairs to grab Buffy's gift from my closet. Coming down the steps with the gift under my arm, I saw Spike and turned to head towards the kitchen.

"You want to slip away for a minute, love?" The bleached blonde asked while grabbing my hand.

"What?"

"I'll let you blow out my candles."

"Here? Now? I don't think so." I shook my head.

"Oh, what, you worried about Johnny?" Spike smirked while looking towards the living room. "You don't want to make your new boyfriend jealous, huh?"

"Shut up. He's sweet." I smiled.

"' _Oh, shut up. He's sweet.'_ " The vampire mocked.

"Maybe he's not the jealous one." I popped off. Walking around him, I headed to the living room.

"You think he'll take you out on his 10-speed, pet?" Walking away, I heard what he added under his breath. "Maybe he'll let you ride in that little basket up front. Jealous, my ass."

~

"Um...." Buffy seemed at a loss as she looked down at her gift.

"See? It's a battery-operated back massager." Willow pointed. "A-and it's portable, so you can take it with you on patrol."

"Uh-huh."

"It's like instant gratification for all your little achys." Willow said and I found myself glancing at Spike. He raised a brow at me before I averted my gaze.

"Great. Thanks. Uh, what's next?"

"Here. Do mine." Dawn said while grabbing a present.

"Okay." Buffy took the golden wrapped gift and began to rip it open. "Dawn." She said while looking down at the leather jacket.

"Do you like it?" Dawn smiled.

"It's gorgeous."

"I was so nervous. I was afraid you wouldn't like it."

"I-it still has the security tag on it." Buffy looked at her sister.

"Huh. That's so weird. I-I can't believe they didn't take that off." Dawn said as I furrowed my brows. There was something off about her heartbeat as she talked.

"Happy birthday, Buffy." Xander said as he and Anya rolled in a weapon's chest.

"Oh, my God. Did you guys make that?" The Slayer put down the jacket to go look at her wooden gift.

"Yes. Well, Xander did the building. Um, I offered helpful suggestions while observing from a safe distance." Anya smiled.

"Holds basic weapons," Xander began while opening the beautifully carved chest. "plus a few nonbasic ones too. Plus, there's a handsome C.D. holder."

"He wanted you to have something no one else would have." The ex-demon said as the doorbell rang.

"A Xander Harris original." Buffy grinned. "I love it. Thank you, guys."

"Buffy." Tara called from the door.

"Oh, Sophie." Looking to the door, I saw who Sophie was. "Welcome. Uh, we're somewhere between, uh, presents and cake. There's gonna be cake eventually, right?" Buffy asked Anya and the ex-demon nodded.

"Hey." Sophie nervously smiled while walking in. "Uh, m-my mom told me to say _'thank you'_ right away 'cause otherwise I usually forget. So, thank you. And also, um, I-I can't have any-any chocolate or-or peanuts or egg yolks." Sophie said as Anya shifted on her feet.

"Is that the friend you brought from work?" Anya whispered to Buffy.

"Yes." The Slayer replied.

"And sometimes dairy." Sophie added.

"No problem." Buffy smiled. The new human female glanced at Clem and the demon gave a friendly smile while waving. "Uh, we can do official introductions now that everyone's officially here. Dawnie, you mind getting the door?" Buffy asked as her sister got up. The Slayer began to introduce Sophie to the gang.

As time passed, it seemed that everyone was getting along well enough. Hell, Sophie and Clem were even having fun as they were dancing to the music together. Going to the dining room, I went to go grab some food. Popping one of Anya's creations into my mouth, I smiled at the taste and began to head back.

"Hey. Great party." Johnson said as he was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hi."

"Everyone's having fun."

"I hope so." I nodded.

"I mean," He shifted on his feet. "look what time it is, and no one's even thinking about leaving." The human male smiled while putting his hands into his pockets. "I know I can't tear myself away."

"Yeah?" I raised a brow while smirking.

"Yeah. Hey, can I get you a drink?"

"Uh....I-I'm good. Thanks." Waving a hand, I caught sight of the bleached blonde lurking in the background. "I think I'll just head back in." I pointed as the music was still going strong in the living room.

"Okay. Well, I'll look for ya." Johnson smiled while nodding his head before walking past me.

"Ooh, Aud. Can I get you a soda pop?" Spike walked up while smiling. "I think I'm in lo~ove." He was mocking the human male that had just left.

"Stop it." I pulled my hands from his hold, unable to hide my smile from his lame joke. "Someone's gonna see." Walking away towards the kitchen, an arm stopped me as it shot out and went against the staircase.

"Mm-hmm." Spike looked at me with a glint in his eye while grabbing my hand and putting it on his crotch. I snatched it away quickly when I heard someone walking towards us. Thankfully, it was Tara who caught us. Giving the vampire a look, I walked off to let him deal with it. It was fun to make him squirm and he definitely would while trying to explain what just happened to Tara since he had no clue that Tara already knew.

Heading to the living room, I could only mentally laugh at what the bleached blonde might come up with as an excuse.

~

The guys kind of split into two groups as one played Monopoly and the other played poker.

"This sucks." I handed Anya my last pieces of yellow paper. "I'm out."

"You wanna try poker?" Xander offered.

"I still say it's weird without the kittens." Clem popped off.

"No kittens." Buffy stated. "He's quirky." She added while looking at the humans.

"Nah, I'd slay you all at poker." I smirked while pointing a thumb down.

"Look, we've already been playing for, like, three hours." Johnson said. "It's, like, two-something in the morning. You can't bail now."

"Yeah. Come on, Aud. Stay. I wanna bankrupt somebody." Anya smiled.

"Bankrupt Buffy." I pointed. "This game is treacherous compared to poker."

"Oh, we should totally have a slumber party." Dawn suggested.

"Oh, I don't know." Buffy got this look on her face. "I guess, as long as everyone's stayin' up anyway."

"Cool, 'cause I'm wired. I don't think I'll be able to sleep." I stated.

"Must be some late-night activities to keep us busy till morning." Spike popped off.

"How's that cramp, Spike? Still bothering you?" Tara gave him a look while holding her cards.

"What? Oh. Yeah."

"Maybe you, uh, want to put some ice on it." The witch smiled and the vampire shifted in his chair.

"Well, I think I'm gonna go grab something to eat." Pointing a thumb over my shoulder, I smiled while getting up.

~

It was early in the morning, Willow and Anya were passed out on the couch while Dawn, Xander, and Clem were watching cartoons. I was sitting on the floor next to Spike while shuffling a deck of cards when Richard and Johnson walked in.

"Hey, Xander, we gotta be at work in a few minutes." He stated.

"Okay." Xander replied.

"We can't be late." Johnson added.

"You should definitely go. Let's find your coat and get you on your merry way." The vampire pointed.

"Spike." I backhanded his shoulder.

"I don't know why I'm not leaving."

"Me, either. Besides, Johnny, you can't skip breakfast, a growing boy like you." The bleached blonde looked up at the two human males standing there. "Me? I used to love breakfast. In the old days, I probably would have eaten by now."

"Of course, with that new diet of yours, you wanna be careful what you try puttin' in your mouth now, Spikey." Smiling, I hid the warning tone from the humans, but the vampire picked it up.

"Yeah?" He glanced at me. "I don't know. Tummy's makin' all kinds of gurglies." Spike shrugged. "Maybe I ought to just feed on whatever's around even if it doesn't go down well." He then smirked at the humans. "You, uh, work out?"

"Okie-dokie." I rose to my feet while putting the cards down. "Excuse us." I sent a brief smile to the two males before dragging Spike out of the living room. "Hey, Mr. Passive Aggressive Guy, you want to take it down a notch or two in there?"

"What? Poor, dainty Johnson can't take a joke?"

"We do not joke about eating people in this house. Buffy said so."

"What are you gonna do? Beat me up again?" Spike raised his brows and I paused while looking at his black eye.

"I should have thrown you out the second you walked in. I must be insane to ever think you could just 'hang out' with the guys." I sent a glare.

"And I was insane to think- No, wait. You were right. You're insane."

"Yeah, well, I was tested. I'm not." Pointing at him, I gestured towards the door with my head. "I think it's time for you to go."

"Yeah. Well, can't. Daylight." He waved a hand at the door.

"Okay. I'll go."

"I'll get the door." Spike popped off.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"I'm actually trying to move now." I said after realizing I was still standing in place.

"Me too."

"Well, this can't be good." I sighed and the vampire shook his head. Waking everyone up, we all gathered in the living room once we discovered we couldn't leave.

"There's something keeping us in this house." Buffy stated.

"Or someone." Xander said.

"H-has everyone tried to get out?" Tara asked.

"What if we just, like, as a group, got up and threw ourselves at the door?" Willow suggested.

"All right." Xander glanced around. "Count of three. One, two, three!" Nobody moved. "Here we go." Still, nothing.

"Hence the problem." Buffy sighed.

"We really need to go." Richard told us. "I mean, we have a job to get to."

"I have to open the Magic Box." Anya fiddled with her sleeves.

"I have a shift at the Doublemeat." Sophie piped up. "Actually, I'm okay here."

"Yeah, I'm-I'm fine." Clem smiled.

"Willow and Tara have class. I gotta be at the site." Xander stated as Buffy rose to her feet.

"I know. We all have places that we'd rather be."

"Things we'd rather be doing." Spike added.

"I think first priority has to be to find a way out." Buffy looked at each of us.

"Sure. Of course you all want to leave." Dawn spoke up from the couch. "'Cause being stuck in here with me, that would really suck, right?"

"No, Dawnie. It's just we have more important things to do." Willow told her.

"Yeah. I know." The little Summers tossed her hands up. "Important. Whatever that means, right?" She rose to her feet before storming up the stairs. Everyone exchanged looks and the gang followed after Dawn.

"Dawn?"

"What?" She said with attitude while laying on her stomach on her bed.

"Did you do something?" I asked.

"Me?"

"Do you _know_ something? 'Cause we want you to feel like you can tell us." Tara spoke calmly.

"What would I know?" Dawn rolled over while sitting up and looked at us with tear streaked cheeks.

"Look, we're not accusing you of anything. It's just....you were kind of taking it personal down there." Willow fiddled with her hands.

"Oh, okay. So you've all just decided that somehow I'm responsible. Great. Here's me baskin' in the love."

"No, it's just, you know, you're upset 'cause we all want to leave." Xander said. "And now we can't leave. Only thing missing is a cornfield. There....there isn't a cornfield, is there?"

"Dawn, it's okay. You know, we're not gonna be mad." Buffy told her little sister.

"Yeah, only I didn't do anything."

"Are you sure?" Willow raised her brows.

"You want me to ask my other self?" Dawn snapped.

"Dawn," Buffy began. "We're just trying to figure out what's going on."

"Figure it out yourself. I'm done being talked to like a kid." The little Summers said harshly.

"Well, you know, sometimes we do something that seems like a good idea at the time. Like, say, invoke the powers of some musical amulet, and turns out, you know, not so much." Xander said while making a popping noise with his mouth.

"God!" Dawn raised her hands. "I didn't do anything! I wish I had." She then looked at all of us as her voice dropped. "I'm glad you're trapped. How else can I get anyone to spend any time with me?"

"Dawn, if you want us to spend time with you-" I waved a hand as I spoke before being cut-off.

"I don't." Dawn gave me a harsh look. "Get out." And she repeated those words until she was screaming. "Get out! Get out! GET OUT!"

~

"I think she's possessed." Anya stated as she sat on the couch.

"She's a teenager." Xander looked at her.

"Phones are all out- We're totally cut off." Tara said as she walked into the living room.

"She was just so angry." Buffy shook her head while referring to her sister.

"It happens. We all went through it." Tara crouched down next to the couch.

"I know." Buffy sighed. "I just can't figure out why she didn't come to me."

"Well, you have been a little busy lately." Xander replied.

"Hey, I don't want to keep you all from the touchy-feelies, but maybe the camera crew can come later, say, maybe when we're not trapped in a house." Spike looked around the room while sitting on the arm of a chair.

"Even if Dawn knows something, she's obviously not going to help us right now." Tara looked at Buffy. "We need another way."

"I think magic's going to be our best bet. Something general. Cast a wide net." Buffy nodded her head and I caught the look on Willow's face.

"But....Willow...." Xander jerked his head in the red-head's direction.

"No, I-I'll do it." Tara looked up at everyone. It's just, o-obviously I didn't bring any supplies."

"And we don't have any in the house." I sighed.

"Yeah, we got rid of everything." Buffy added.

"Actually...." Willow spoke up while fidgeting and having her arms crossed. "not everything. I, uh, might have....kept one or two things....sort of." Willow glanced up at us with a worried expression. "You know, just in case."

"That's great!" Xander pointed, but added on after catching what that meant. "In a very bad way."

"Just," Tara sighed after rising to her feet. "bring me what you have," Willow nodded. "then I'm doing this alone. You need to stay away from it." Tara stated before leaving the room.

~

After Willow gave everything to Tara, she went to work in the kitchen while everyone else got ready at the front door to see if it would work. I however, was at the back door just in case.

"Try the door!" When I heard Tara call out, I clenched my jaw and tried to ram myself into the back door. My feet stayed firmly planted where they were, and I balled my hands into fists while adding more effort into moving. Growling, I stepped back when it was obvious that I wasn't going to get out.

"Any luck?" Spike shouted from the front door.

"No!" I replied while angrily growling a the door. A second later, I heard screaming and ran into the living room to see Buffy getting up from the ground. "What happened?" I asked, but before she could answer, a large, red demon was swinging his sword at Buffy.

Growling as my tail grew out, I went to jump on the demon's back, but it seemingly melted away and I crashed into Buffy and Spike.

"What the bloody Hell was that?" Spike questioned as Buffy and I scrambled to our feet.

"That's the demon I killed two nights ago." Buffy replied.

"Demon you _thought_ you killed." The vampire smarted off as Buffy was looking around.

"It looks pretty bad." I heard Xander say and I looked over my shoulder to see one of the humans injured.

"Oh, God. Oh, God."

"Let's get him upstairs." Tara said as I hid my tail behind me. "We nee to get him to a doctor soon." Tara looked up at Buffy.

"Hey, i-it's going to be okay." The Slayer stepped towards the others as Spike finally got to his feet. "Just trust me, I promise we'll be out of here soon."

~

Despite what Buffy said, we spent hours after trying to force our way out, but nothing was working. It was dark outside now, and Sophie was repeatedly saying, 'Oh, God' as she looked out the window.

"Okay, so maybe _'soon'_ was a bit of an overstatement." Buffy sighed.

"So, you ever think about 'not' celebrating a birthday?" Spike looked at the Slayer while leaning on the wall with his arms crossed. "You should try it, I mean."

"I'm going to go check upstairs." Buffy stated after giving the vampire a look. "You keep watch on things down here?" She then turned to me while raising her brows in question. Nodding, she then headed towards the stairs as I slowly looked at Spike.

"Really?"

"What?" He furrowed his brows. "It's not my bleeding fault something always happens on her birthday." Spike then raised a brow at me. "Speakin' of which, I haven't seen any balloons with your name on 'em."

"And you never will. I don't celebrate it." Turning away, I felt my ear twitch as I was picking up strange noises.

"What's that noise?" Dawn sat straight up on the couch. "It's in the walls, isn't it?" Spike got this look on his face as he leaned off of the wall and held his ear close to where the noise was coming from. It seemed to move, and he followed it through the house.

"Scream like a sissy if you need back-up." I called after the vampire while standing closer to Dawn. He gave me a small glare over his shoulder before turning back towards the walls.

Not long after, I actually did hear screaming, but it was Xander and he was in the dining room. Running to where he was, I arrived in time to see Spike get thrown by the huge, red demon before it threw Xander as well. Buffy came running in from the Kitchen with a blade.

"Grab the sword!" She shouted as the demon was swinging it around. Snarling as my tail grew out, I went at the demon to try and help Buffy. She kicked him, causing him to fling his arms out as he stumbled back, and I lost my footing while trying to avoid getting hit by the sword. Looking up, I saw the demon melting into the wall before he completely went out of sight.

I could smell human blood and I glanced over to see Xander with an injured arm talking with Anya. Sighing, I let my head fall back. 'Great, and we still have no way out.'

"You hurt?" A voice came from above as a hand was held out to me.

"No, I'm fine." I grumbled while taking the icy cold hand. Pulling me up to my feet, the vampire looked me over just in case. "I said that I'm fine." I nearly growled while snatching my hand away.

"Geez, I was just making sure. No need to get in a mood, pet." I glared at him before looking to Buffy. She was preoccupied with Xander's injury, and I was trying to think on how we could get this demon and a way out.

~

"I just think we haven't thought of the right way out yet, that's all." Tara looked at each of us while I was chewing on my bottom lip. It seemed the longer I was confined in this house, the more agitated I was growing. I thought that with how large the house was, it wouldn't bother me, but being confined against my will had me nervously fidgeting and pacing like a caged animal.

"Well, we can't just stay put like cattle, waiting for that thing to pop out every time it gets peckish." Spike glanced over his shoulder while having his arms crossed.

"I'd say we do another spell, but I-I think we've tried everything."

"Well, that's not completely true, is it?" Anya spoke up from the table. "I mean, not everything." And she rose her head to look at Tara. "Not exactly." Her eyes then wandered to Willow. "We're sitting here with an incredibly powerful witch. Much more powerful than you, Tara, I'm sorry. Only, no one seems willing to say it."

"I can't." Willow shook her head while looking slightly scared.

"No, see, that's not exactly true either. Not _'can't',_ _'won't.'_ "

"You don't know how much I hate this. I don't know if there's anything I even could do." Willow replied.

"Yes, and a good way to find out is sit around and try nothing." Anya said while still looking directly at the redhead. Pacing back and forth in the entryway behind them, I was chewing on the inside of my cheek while trying to remain calm. "That was sarcasm by the way."

"Look-"

"It's dangerous."

"So is all of us dying."

"Wil. Look, I don't want to gang up on you, but Anya kind of has a point. We brought you back once- We're all here, we just need one little spell. Whatever happens, we'll bring you back again." Xander told her.

"No." Willow said firmly. "I can't. If I start, I might not be able to stop."

"And whose fault is that?" I heard Anya rise to her feet as I had my back to them, still pacing with my tail twitching. "You know, if you hadn't gotten so much in your system in the first place-"

"Hey! You're gonna back off!" Tara rose her voice while getting between the two women. "She said 'no', and that's it. You're not going to make her do something she doesn't want to. And if you try, you'll have to go through me first." Tara crossed her arms. "Understood?"

"Fine. If you won't get us all out of this, I'll do it myself." Then Anya walked off and headed upstairs. Glancing at the door, I tried one more time to leave, but my entire body just froze and nothing happened again. Growling low, I looked over my shoulder into the living room. Clem had Sophie occupied, so she had yet to notice my tail that refused to go away.

I was freaking out again. Being locked up was not an okay thing for me. Sure, I could remain calm longer in larger areas, but it still eventually got to me and I was proud I at least lasted this long. When I began to feel my fangs digging into my cheek as I was still nervously chewing on it, I decided it was time for me to go.

It felt like the air in my lungs were slowly constricting and I had the urge to bite anyone who came near. Hugging myself, I could hear my heartbeat in my ears as I forced myself to go to the basement. I didn't lock the door, it would just add to my irritation, but I did block it off with a chair to at least keep the others out for their own safety.

Feeling my claws against my arms as I was holding myself, I began to pace the length of the basement from one wall to another. The movement kept me mostly preoccupied from the fact that I was locked in, but the fact that none of us could get out still weighed on my mind.

Hearing some clattering upstairs, I ignored it because I couldn't hear the demon. If I couldn't hear the demon, then everything was okay....for the most part. Taking in deep breaths from my nose, I let them out through my mouth while trying to remain as calm as possible. Covering my ears and closing my eyes, I sent myself into utter darkness to create a sense of false depth that I knew the basement didn't have.

Sadly, however, this didn't work too well since I was still pacing and turned every time I walked the length of the room. Going to a corner, I crouched down and continued to have my eyes and ears covered. It seemed to somewhat assist my nerves, but I found myself rocking back and forth as I focused on listening to my own heartbeat rather than anything else. I could feel the urge to break free, but I knew it was a futile thing due to whatever was keeping us here. _'It's okay....'_ I told myself. _'Everything's going to be okay....'_

"Stay calm." I mumbled out loud. "You're not locked up, you're at home- stay calm." Holding my hands over my ears as I rocked back and forth, I kept telling myself reassuring words, but I could feel that they weren't working.

_'Are you gonna cry?'_ A voice whispered at the back of my mind. _'Go ahead, cry. It's not going to do you any good, little beastie.'_ My claws dug into my scalp as I shook my head, trying to get rid of the voice. _'See these bars? They hold demons three times your size, so don't even try breaking out.'_

My eyes shot open as my pupils dilated into paper thin slits. I needed to get out. Now.

_'Come on, little beastie, do a little trick. Every demon's got something, so what can you do?'_ And those words were followed by a laugh in my head. These memories, these haunting thoughts from my past, were the reason I went crazy in confined spaces. They always emerged at some point, taunting me whenever I was locked up.

Without even thinking, I bolted. I ran for the window near the top of the wall and busted through it. Rolling into the grass outside, I didn't care how I was able to get out, I just knew that I was out. Baring my fangs as that voice kept whispering in my head, I growled and dug my claws into the soil beneath the grass. My tail was swaying behind me like a cat's and I felt a primal urge to run.

Throwing my eyes back towards the house, I caught sight of Buffy standing in the living room window, holding the curtains in both of her hands. Snarling, I could feel the markings showing on my face as my skin grew hotter, and I ran off, forcing myself to head away from the city.


	66. Then we will see the vampire (vampire)

After a late shift at the _Doublemeat Palace_ , Buffy and I were dragging our feet home. We weren't really in the mood for anything, especially Buffy since she had to scrape the grease off of the grills. Hell, even a vampire refused to fight Buffy once he caught a whiff of her after work.

Going up the steps to the house, I paused and told Buffy to go on ahead. She glanced over her shoulder at me, but didn't question it. After the incident when we were all trapped in the house, she figured I just needed fresh air and open space from time to time. She had still yet to even ask about it, but I had a feeling she didn't even want to know.

"For Pete's sake, Spike." I turned on my heel while looking to the large tree in the front of the house.

"Ah, it's a fair caught. You caught me, Aud." The bleached blond came around the side of the tree with a smirk on his face. "However, in all honesty, I think I have to say this one doesn't count." He dropped his hand to his side and looked at me. "After all, I wasn't exactly hiding."

"No, Spike." I immediately said, seeing the look on his face, seeming as if he was going to ask something.

"No? What kind of answer is that? You haven't even heard the question yet." Spike replied while walking up to me.

"I don't have to. We both know what you're thinking." I told him and he got this smile on his face as he looked down at me.

"We both know?" He stepped closer, playing with the chain of my necklace. "Then I'm not the only one thinking it." Spike said and bit his lower lip.

"No. Not here." I grabbed his hand while taking a step back.

"Why not?" He sort of pouted and I mentally rolled my eyes at his expression.

"Dawn and Buffy." Glancing towards the house, I waved a hand. "They are waiting on me inside and I'm not going to let them down by letting you in."

"So it's the fear of getting caught then, is it?"

"Reason number one on a very long list." I replied while slipping my hands into my back pockets.

"Then it can be an obstacle." Spike grabbed my wrist and started to lead me away from the front porch steps.

"Spike, I mean it, come on." Sighing, I glanced back at the front door.

"I hear you're serious, but so am I." He didn't stop walking until we were out of view from the front door. "I want you, you want me." My back leaned against the large tree. "I can't go inside, so...." The vampire glanced over his shoulder at the house. "maybe the time is right for you to come outside." Spike looked down at me with a slight smile as I sighed. Giving one more look to the house, I caved and Spike leaned down to kiss me.

~

Quietly sneaking into the house, I was biting my lower lip while trying to silently shut the front door. Walking to the kitchen for a quick bite, I froze in the doorway when I saw Willow, Buffy, and Dawn standing around the island.

"About time you came in." Buffy looked over at me. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah, why?" I crossed my arms while shifting my weight on my feet.

"You were out there a while, plus you have leaves in your hair." The Slayer pointed towards my head. Clearing my throat, I reached up and brushed the leaves away.

"Thought I'd just take a bit of a breather and plopped down in the grass for a bit." It felt horrible to lie to them, but there was no way I could tell them what I had actually done.

"Well, you came in at the perfect time. Ready for a bold suggestion?" Willow smiled. "Blow it off." She glanced to Buffy, so I assumed she was saying that to whatever had been said before I walked in. "Dawnie and I are headed out to The Bronze."

"Do I have your permission and wanna come along?" Dawn gave the Slayer a huge grin while nervously fiddling with her hands. "Heh, you like how I slipped in that permission request like that?"

"Very smooth." Willow nodded.

"You guys go." Buffy softly smiled at Dawn.

"Really?"

"Buffy, are you sure? I-it might do you good to get away from the _Doublemeat_ lifestyle for a night. See friends." Willow slightly tilted her head while smiling.

"Who'd love to see you." Dawn added.

"I've seen enough action for one day. Home by 11." Buffy stated while looking at her little sister.

"On the dot."

"What about you, Aud?" Willow turned to me.

"That place is driving me bonkers, please take me with you." I replied, but they didn't quite get how much truth to that sentence there was. I didn't have much else choice but to work there, but after being there for so long, I was finally understanding what Spike had told me about that place. I really didn't belong there- it made me feel cramped and as if I had no room to stretch out. Honestly, I wanted to blame my demon half for this because with the hours upon hours spent in that rancid kitchen, none of the vast energy I had was being spent.

Except for the seldom breaks I spent with that bleached blond vampire and I hated to say that.

"All right, let's go!"

~

At The Bronze, we ended up seeing Anya and Xander, but they were busy stressing over the seating arrangements for the wedding. The human male was downing a large bag of chips, no doubt from the nerves, and the ex-demon seemed about just as fidgety.

Unlike those two, I hit the dance floor. I didn't care what music was playing, I needed to let loose and just forget about everything for the night. Forget about work, forget about Tara being gone, forget about demons, and most importantly forget about everything with Spike.

Day after day as our....what would you even call this? We weren't a couple, nor were we secret 'lovers' of any sort. It was confusing. It was complex. Anyways, as our _'intimate'_ encounters continued, I was finding myself more and more perplexed by not only myself, but Spike as well.

I still didn't know whether to believe if vampires could honestly love or not, whether it was the genuine kind or the dark and twisted kind or even at all, but Tara had said that Spike did love me. However, I didn't know how I felt fully towards that man in return.

The things I did know was my feelings of disgust at the evil he has done, but he didn't do much of that anymore because of the chip. I also knew that both my friends and family hated him to varying degrees with the exception of Dawn who seemed to view the blond as a sort of friend. I didn't know how I should feel about that either....

Point is....I didn't want to be using him. I didn't want to be taking advantage of him, only being that close to him simply because of the way he could make me feel.

Dancing. I should be dancing. _'Stop thinking, stop remembering, just....dance.'_ I thought and let the rhythm lead me as the loud bass reverberated deep in my bones.

_**Thump, thump. Thump. Thump.**_

The music was like a living, breathing thing with the drums as the beat of its heart. I was surrounded by the swaying and pulsing bodies of all the humans also on the dance floor, and the scents and sounds were enough to distract me. I was vaguely aware of Dawn and Willow also near by for a while before they left to take a break and grab a drink, but I stayed on the dance floor instead of following them.

_**Thump, thump. Thump. Thump.**_

This was good. I needed this. I needed this sense of freedom after weeks upon weeks being stuck behind that counter. However....as things seem to be, it was ruined when I felt hands sliding onto my hips and a body close behind me. Hot breath hit my ear and spoke to where I could hear over the music.

"Lookin' good, shortie." He said, and I felt _revolted_ by this stranger touching me. "Wanna show me what other moves you got?" Without saying a word, I grabbed one of his hands and twisted. He yelped as he went to his knees and I twisted his hand behind his back, yet again confusing myself by this rather....extreme reaction. I usually would have just told him to leave me be, but I had actually gotten physical with the frail human. Not only that, it felt so ugly and wrong with his body pressed to my back with his hands on me.

Why was I okay when Spike did the same thing?

~

Walking to the living room while digging in a bag of chips, my tail swayed lazily as I caught two strange scents in the house.

"I don't want to raise any alarm, but I'm certain I smell- Holy shit!" I ducked to avoid the bullet that was shot in the direction of my chest.

"I thought this place was safe, how'd a hostile get in?" I heard a woman shout.

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold it!" Buffy shouted, letting me know she too was in the living room.

"Holster your weapon, soldier, _that's_ Aud." ....Riley? So my nose was right....

"Odd?" The unknown woman questioned, and I felt some relief at seeing that the bullet stuck in the wall was just a tranquilizer. "Oh, Aud! Oh, my God, I am so sorry!"

"So....safe to come out now?" I called from where I was crouched with my back pressed against the wall.

"Completely. I apologize, Aud, I may have....forgotten to tell her what you looked like."

"You said she looked like a giant lemur, not a girl with a lemur tail." There was a bite in the woman's voice as I hauled myself up and picked my bag of chips from the floor.

"I did?" Riley had this look on his face, making me sigh out of my nose and stuff my mouth with chips.

"Anyways, back to the matter at hand." The woman gave a lingering look to Riley before glancing to me and the rest of the guys in the room.

"Okay, so we track down the demon," Xander waved his hand. "find the nest, Mr. and Mrs. Finn here make with the killing, and voila, everyone goes home happy." He took a seat next to the woman and it only took me a few seconds to process the Mr and Mrs. Finn part. "But seriously, married man, if forced to choose between photographer and place settings-"

"We can't track the demon." Buffy spoke up. "I killed it. So, who's hungry? We got, uh-"

"Ice cubes."

"All-you-can-eat." The Slayer nodded with a tense smile.

"Buffy, it's good that you killed the Suvolte before it killed us." The brunette woman said. "Disposable cameras."

"That?"

"Yeah, you know, little plastic ones that are 10 bucks a pop. Arrange 'em like table settings, guests snap photos, breaks the ice. When the wedding's over, you take home all the pictures."

"I like it." Xander pointed.

"So, demon hunting. Any time-table on when we think they're gonna hatch?" Buffy asked.

"Hatching's not the problem." Riley answered.

"We think they're going to be sold on the black market. There's foreign military powers that would _love_ to have their own Suvolte. Could never train it, but you drop it on a population and...." The woman trailed off.

"And it cleanses the area." Riley finished.

"Is that a nice way of saying it kills people?" Dawn questioned.

"Lots of them. Money's been exchanged. There's a dealer in town who calls himself The-The Doctor." The brunette then turned to the redhead. "Willow, you think you could help out with a little locating spell?"

"I can't....do magic."

"Oh, well, Riley says you're coming on as one majorly wicca."

"I got addicted the way addicts do." Willow said lowly before quickly leaving the room.

"....Two teams. No civilians." Riley went on. "I'll, uh, I'll go looking for our Doctor. You two find that nest."

"Me and Sam together?" Buffy looked a bit shocked. "You know, i-if you have the demon's scent or something, Aud can track it."

"Well, we don't, so I don't know how much Aud will be helpful in this situation."

"I'm a half-demon that can breathe fire, and you don't know how helpful I can be?" I popped off while my brows knit together.

"You can breathe fire?" Riley gave me a look.

"You're a half-demon?" The brunette- Sam, as Buffy had called her- raised her brows at me. "What's the other half?"

"Human. And yes, I can breathe fire. Forget about the beach incident?"

"....I did, yes." Riley cleared his throat.

"Riley, you never said she was half human." Sam glanced back to the man holding her hand before looking at me. "So, is it common for demons to breed with humans? Or are you like a once in a blue moon thing?"

"There's whole races of half-breeds. Vampires are technically mixed-bloods, too, but a majority of the demon community look down upon and even disgrace hybrids between demons and humans."

"Incredible. Uh, not the disgracing part, but the whole races part. I mean, we don't have any kind of information like that." Sam chuckled.

"Then I guess we do three teams. Buffy and Sam look for the nest, I'll look for The Doctor, and Aud can just look around and see which one she comes across first." Riley got to his feet and from his tone I knew he was still not sure how to treat me knowing what I was.

"Why don't you just keep the two teams? Why split again?" Xander looked confused.

"Because I've seen Aud in action during patrols and I know what she's capable of. She'll be more effective on her own." Riley nodded to me as I set my chips down onto the coffee table. I knew what he meant- I couldn't do much in populated areas where he will be passing through, and he didn't want me near his wife because he still had mixed feelings on me being part demon. It was understandable. I mean, we got along before fine because he knew that if anything happened there were people to handle me, but if I went raving mad he didn't want to risk Sam if Buffy couldn't take me down.

He was just worried, and I was completely fine with that. I knew my nature and I knew his, even if I am working with the Slayer, his every instinct and all that he's been trained to do was for hunting demons.

"I'll grab my shoes and head out then. I know a few places that might have some clues." I stated.

~

Walking through the woods with my hands shoved into my jacket pockets, I kept my nose to the air to catch anything demonic in nature. I wasn't even fully certain what I was looking for, but Sam and had described the demon and the eggs to me, so I hoped I'd know it when I saw it.

"....Who do I know that knows the black market?" I mumbled while pausing in a clearing. "Pops isn't here, so...." Sighing, my shoulders dropped. "Spike." Continuing on, I turned towards the cemetery and went straight there.

"Aud?" The vampire set down the book in his hands as I closed the crypt door behind me. "Hey, now, if I'd of known you were coming I'd of baked a cake." Spike looked at me as he stood.

"I need information."

"I suppose I could be helpful." He shrugged. "If the price is right. I don't think I'm selling out of _Doublemeat Palace_ wages, though." Rolling my eyes at him, I shifted my weight on my feet.

"I need to find a guy- dealer. Calls himself The Doctor."

"Human?" Spike questioned.

"He's trafficking."

"Clock ticking?"

"Whatever he's doing, he's going to do it soon, so spill what you know." I looked him in the eye, but he seemed preoccupied by looking me up and down with that glint in his gaze.

" _Soon_ , but not now."

"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm here for business, not pleasure." I threw my gaze around the crypt briefly before looking back at him.

"I love you, you know I do." Spike stepped closer to me, grabbing my wrists to pull my hands from my pockets before gently intertwining our fingers. "And I want you." The blond smirked. "I always do." There was a strange flutter in my chest as I comprehended the sincerity in his voice. "Why not have a bit of pleasure real quick before we get to business? What do you say, love?"

I felt every wall I had built before stepping into this crypt to avoid this very situation crumble as he leaned down to kiss me. His cold lips ignited a fire and I was like an addict needing a fix.

"Spike, I don't have much time for this."

"Don't worry, I'll have you purring real soon and then send you on your merry little way to get back to work." The vampire chuckled, picking me up by my hips before setting me down on the casket he had been sitting on that was covered with a soft blanket.

....How could he make me feel this way? I couldn't even understand what this feeling was and it confused me, but I couldn't deny that I liked the sex that followed.

~

"You willing to talk now?" I asked lowly while laying on my side and facing the vampire. He had one arm under his head like a pillow while looking at me.

"I can't even take a minute to enjoy this? Already wanting to get back to the hunt?"

"I told you already I didn't have much time-" My tail twitched when I heard the crypt door open. I quickly sat up, my heart beating faster in my chest while Spike nonchalantly rolled over and chuckled.

"Well, lookie here. Boy Scout is back. Are you the one that's got Aud's tail all in a fluff?" I felt Spike briefly touch my tail before it twitched away from his hand.

"....I'm rather disappointed, Aud." Riley had one hand at his side while the other was holding a rather large gun. My ears drooped from the look on the human's face and I had to avert my gaze as I was filled with....shame. "You did your job, but not in the way I had expected. Isn't that right, Doctor?"

"....What?" I let the confusion show plainly on my face as I glanced to Spike, but he was too busy looking at my ass. "Oh, my-" I was again at a loss with the conflicting emotions yet again plaguing me and quickly got to my feet to get dressed.

I wasn't really in the mood to be concerned with modesty as I found my clothes on the floor.

"Here I thought we'd run you out of town, ey?" Spike sighed. "Last time I saw you, if memory serves, you were gettin' the juiced sucked out of you by some undead ladies. Very questionable reputation. Now, be a good tin soldier and, uh...." The vampire trailed off.

"Where are they, Doctor?" Riley asked while I was zipping up my pants.

"Where are what, and why do you keep calling me that?" The bleached blond stood and pulled on his pants.

"Had to be back in Sunnydale. The locals all speak English and I know who to beat for information. It's all brought me here."

"Look, crew-cut, Aud's not your dog, so don't be treatin' her as such."

"Tell me before I get unprofessional." The two males were now standing in front of each other with tense postures. "Where are the eggs, Spike?"

"Eggs?" He scoffed. "You're off your nut. It must be those drugs they were keepin' you on, I did warn you."

"Okay. We can do this the hard way, or we can do this the fatal way." Riley socked Spike in the nose, but the vampire didn't even bleed. "Where are the eggs?"

"Look, The Doctor, i-it can't be _Spike_." I walked over now that I was fully dressed.

"I don't need you to defend me, love." On an impulse, I knocked the vampire onto his back and held him down with my foot on his chest while looking at Riley.

"Shut up. Okay, i-i-it can't be, he's too i-incompetent!" I waved my hands. "It's just _Spike_ , Riley."

"Right. Deadly, immoral, opportunistic.... Or have you forgotten?" Riley gave me that look again that made my ears droop. "I'm taking this place apart until I find that nest."

"Over my dead body."

"I've seen enough of your body for one night, thank you." Riley popped off while looking at the vampire on the floor. "You coming?" He asked while walking past. I didn't want to give him any reason to doubt my loyalties now, so I followed the human as he went down the ladder. I didn't say anything, I didn't think I could with the lump in my throat.

I was hardly friends with Riley and it was this hard knowing that he knew about Spike and I- I don't think I could ever handle Buffy and the guys knowing. Especially Pops.

"Oh, this is-this is unconstitutional is what this is!" Spike shouted. "Yeah, there's nothing to see down there!" My tail was low as I walked behind Riley, but the man wasn't even walking long before he stopped. My heart and gut felt heavy at what I saw in the corner. "I can explain." Spike was right next to me now, but I wasn't even looking at him- I was looking at the clutch of Suvolte eggs on his carpet.

"We're going to need more weapons. Spike screwed up- You didn't keep them frozen, did you, Doctor?"

"You can stop calling me that _anytime_. If I may, the thing of it is, I'm holding these for a friend who-" I cut the demon off with a fist to his mouth, sending him flying back. He was bleeding now from his busted lip and nose now.

"No more games." My voice shook.

"Well, that's bloody funny coming from _you_!" The blond shouted while scrambling to his feet. " _'No more games'_? That's all you ever done is play me! And you keep playing with the rules you make up as you like! You 'know' what I am. You've always known. You come to me all the same." I heard him storm off.

"You better get out of here, they're about to hatch." Riley cocked his gun, but I simply ignored him and set fire to the carpet under the eggs.

Standing there, watching the flames dance and rise higher, I heard the screams from the infant demons as they were hatching and burning. The looked like strange spiders before they were turning charred and black, and I stood there as the fire spread to other parts of the underground room.

"Aud...." Riley's voice was soft now. "Aud, come one, before we get burnt, too." He grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to turn around as the last I saw was the bed doused in flames. The heat was on my back now, but....I felt cold.

~

It was deathly silent as we walked through the cemetery until Riley was the first to speak.

"I won't say anything to Buffy if you don't want me to, Aud." His tone was gentle. "But....why _him_? A-and I thought you were disgusted by that stuff."

"....I don't know." I mumbled, staring straight ahead. "I don't even understand it myself.... I've been trying, but....I'm lost."

"Is it....is it a demon thing? I mean, you _know_ who he is and yet you still-"

"Please, stop." I closed my eyes as my brows furrowed. "Look, I don't know anything. I can't give you any answers or say anything to excuse what I've done."

"....I have prior authorization to take The Doctor out, do you want me to do that?"

"No. If I want him dead, I'll do it myself. I need to figure these things out on my own."

"Don't put anyone in danger." Riley said.

~

We regrouped at _The Magic Box_ and I didn't say a word as Riley told the others how we found the nest and burnt it. It wasn't long after that before Riley and Sam left with a helicopter, and I didn't even eat dinner before going to bed. I knew what I had to do. It was time to finally do it once and for all.

I went in the morning after making breakfast for everyone to make it seem like I was fine, but I felt as if I wasn't and couldn't quite tell why. Things were so much simpler back in England- less drama, less emotion, less of everything.

"Suppose she's back." Spike said while looking at the ashes and burned debris, softly kicking a charred piece of wood that crumbled. "Bet soldier boy hit you on the nose with a bit of newspaper."

"He's gone." I stated.

"Come for a bit of cold comfort?" He looked over his shoulder at me. "The bed's a bit out of it but-"

"I'm not here to have sex with you. And I'm not here to kick your ass for your stupid scheme, either. That's just you. I should have remembered."

"This is worse then, is it? This is you tellin' me-"

"It's over."

"I've memorized this tune, love." Spike stepped over blackened and broken furniture towards me. "I've got the sheet music. Doesn't change what you want."

"I know that." Looking him in the eye, I continued. "I do want to be with you. I've comprehended how lust feels and the desire and I definitely feel that way about you, but that's all it is." His face fell, but I didn't stop talking. "I can't love you. Being with you is just me being weak, and selfish-"

"But I'm not complaining here."

"I am incapable of loving you. I'm sorry, William." The pain in his eyes and in his face took me by surprise, but my void expression didn't falter. I had to be strong. He didn't say a word, didn't move a muscle, just....looked at me with such hurt. I turned and walked away, but I felt a sharp pain in my chest, now knowing without a doubt that he _loved_ me. **Loved**. A soulless creature with skewed morals that held such darkness felt _love_.

And I broke his heart.


	67. Oh, well you know you'll never find an easy way

"Buffy, it's hideous." Willow said lowly. "Oh, my God, Buffy. Look at it's _arms_!" I could hear the rain hitting the roof and windows outside.

"I know. But it's my duty. I'm Buffy the Bridesmaid." The two looked so horrified while gazing into the mirror at the green dresses they wore. I, on the other hand, stood in the doorway, grumpy as Hell after being forced into this jade toxicity.

"Duty, schmoody. I'm supposed to be best-man, shouldn't I be all- Oh, God, Aud!" Willow finally noticed me.

"Maybe if I ask Anya, I can still go with the traditional blood larva and burlap." I grumbled.

"What was she thinking?" Willow groaned and I glared at the giant flower on the breast of the dress.

"I'm thinking she's probably too stressed to be thinking right now. What, with Xander's relatives and her....demons." Buffy sat on the edge of her bed.

"Oh, my _God_ , last night at the rehearsal dinner. That was like a-a zoo without the table manners, and I bet it got worse after we left." Willow cringed.

"I just can't believe everybody bought that story about Anya's people being circus folk. I mean, did you see the guy with the tentacles? What's he supposed to be? Inky the Squid Boy?"

"And Xander's family- haven't seen them that bad since my Bat Mitzvah. Ugh, did you see how much they drank?"

"Kinda. Mr. Harris threw up in my purse." Buffy mumbled as I tried to walk.

"This is ridiculous. I can't run in this thing, I can't kick, I can't anything! Now I know how a noodle in a straw feels."

"A what?"

"Oh!" I spun, seeing Anya in her silk robe while covering her mouth. "Oh." She sighed, dropping her hands while looking at us. "You guys look so beautiful!" The ex-demon grinned while swooping in and grabbing us in a group hug. "This is the happiest day of my whole life!" She said right before thunder shook the air and lightening lit the room. "Also, I'm rather glad you changed your hair color again, that baby blue would not have looked good with this green, honestly."

"Well, I was missing my silver." I replied. "....Do I really have to wear-"

"Yes."

"Wonderful." Sighing, I closed my eyes for a second.

~

"Oh, what's that?" I asked Dawn as a tall demon handed her a box covered in holes with a blue ribbon on top.

"It's- ....Halfrek." The little Summers had her attention taken by the vengeance demon in a matching jade dress.

"Oh, please! Call me Hallie, we're practically family now!" She waved a hand.

"My word, if I wasn't mistaken I'd say you're an Ustrina Augendae!" The tall demon with four horns standing in front of Dawn was now looking at me as Dawn quickly handed me the box that now had some tentacle sticking out of it and waving around.

"Ew." She mumbled.

"No, I am. Well, half." I replied, getting a good hold on the box to where the squirming tentacle was on the opposite side.

"Let me get a good look at you." He gently smiled while Halfrek and Dawn were simply watching the whole thing play out. His claws gently scraped my skin as he cupped my cheeks and raised my face. "Pale for your kind, but healthy overall. I'm assuming your hair is dyed, yes? Did you inherit the Ustrina or human hair?"

"Ustrina." I replied while letting him tilt my head from one side to the other.

"My, my, to have established such a human form at this age is brilliant, but that may be due to your human blood. How much of your demon form is affected by it, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Actually, Aud doesn't know much about her demon half, she was born in Siberia. Er, well, found." Dawn waved her hand.

"Siberia? That explains the paleness then, Ustrina Augendae generally get their warm complexion from the high exposure to sunlight in their early years. You have very human eyes, though. Do they change when you shift?"

"Yes." Dawn answered for me.

"....How much do you know about my kind?"

"Oh, not a lot, I'm afraid. I only know what I do from meeting one about a century ago. A rare breed, you are." The demon smiled while dropping his hands from my face. "A shame what's happened to your kind, an honest shame."

"So, Dawnie, how's everything?" Halfrek turned to Dawn with a grin. "Going good? Nothing you, um, nothing you _**wish**_ was different?"

"Oh, Hallie, take a day off. We're not here to do vengeance, we're here to mingle." And the four horned demon ushered Halfrek away.

"So close, huh?"

"What?" I glanced to Dawn while walking towards the present table to set down the box.

"Finally met someone that _didn't_ want to bleed you out that knows what you are. Too bad he didn't know more." Dawn explained.

"Yeah, too bad. At least I know I'm not alone anymore, though. About the only good thing from Glory was finding out what I was."

"So....what _is_ your natural hair color? He asked like it's an abnormal color." Dawn glanced at me while fiddling with her hands as I set the holey box down, the tentacle still flailing around.

"It looks like snow." I replied.

"So blindingly white. Got it." Dawn chuckled.

"Exactly." I smiled. "Hey, think you can handle things? I have to go check on something."

"Sure!"

"Great, thanks." I pat her shoulder before walking off towards the rooms where certain people were getting ready. Going through the people and then the hall, I knocked on the door and a second later Buffy opened it. "Is he done?"

"Yep." Xander popped into view and stepped into the hall. "Now, let's go over the list one more time. Number 1:"

"Don't let your dad near the bar." Buffy answered while following him out.

"Check. Number 2:"

"Don't let your mom near the bar." I said while grabbing his shoulder to stop him from walking. "Who tied this? It's all crooked." I popped off while undoing Xander's bowtie.

"Sorry. I'm a little rusty." Buffy raised her hand while softly laughing.

"Buffy! Spike's here and he brought a total skank." Dawn came around the corner. "A skank who is a manic-panic freak who he is totally macking with in the middle of the room. I saw him shove his tongue-"

"Spike brought a date?" I questioned while finishing with Xander's tie.

"Yeah. Wait til you see her."

"Guys, I better go meet and greet." Xander waved his hand.

"Go ahead. I'll just be a sec." Buffy told him before he walked out into the main room.

"I think we should go back out and make sure everyone's behaving, what do you say?" Dawn asked me.

"Yeah, with those people out there, there's no telling what's going on." I sighed. "See you when you get out there, Buffy."

"See ya!" She smiled as I walked with her little sister. Out in the main room where people were talking and bustling about, Dawn and I helped greet people coming in or took gifts to the table. It seemed everyone was behaving overall, but a fight nearly broke out that Buffy took care of in seconds.

Rolling my shoulders, I felt so uncomfortable in this dress, but seeing everyone happy for Xander and Anya's big day was worth it. I'd even wear heels if I had to for them, but thankfully I did not- Anya let me wear my boots.

I also did catch a few glimpses here and there of Spike and the stranger in black and fishnets, and I felt odd seeing them so close to each other. I knew my basic instincts rather well, so I knew that the growl deep in my chest was from a territorial possessiveness I wasn't even aware I had towards the vampire until now. I wasn't in love with him as far as I knew, but it was still months that we spent together in the naked sense and the demon half of me was reacting to that.

At least I think that's what it was, I mean, it's not as if I had been through this before. Hell, the possessive growl could simply stem from knowing what those cold hands on that woman's cheeks could make a girl feel and I was only feeling withdraw.

"Did you find it?" Dawn asked, referring to the squirmy gift that had gotten free earlier.

"I found it near the kitchen. I didn't know what to do with it, so it's stuck in a pot and stuffed under the table."

"Aud, how's it going to breath?!"

"I duct taped a colander to the top." Smiling, I gave a thumbs up.

"Okay, good." And she was off again with her wedding duties. Walking in the opposite direction of her, I happened to make eye contact with Spike and he was standing alone now. He was the first to drop his gaze, and I bit my bottom lip while looking around. _'I have to say something....'_ I thought before shifting on my feet and then just going over to him.

"Hello, Aud." Spike said lowly while leaning off of the wall.

"Hi." I caught myself trying to put my hands into my back pockets and played it off as fixing the dress. 'Why and when did I get that bleeding habit?'

"It's a happy occasion." He glanced around before looking at me with raised brows. "Meet my friend?"

"No. Not yet." I shook my head a little. "But, she seems like a very nice attempt at making me jealous. Like in one of those movies the Summers showed me." Crossing my arms seemed to be the only way to keep from fidgeting, and Spike scoffed at my comment.

"Is it workin'?"

"....A little." I answered honestly and it looked like his eyes were smiling even if his mouth wasn't. "That doesn't change anything. But, if you're wildly curious, yeah....it hurts."

"Oh, I'm sorry...." He spoke softly, then realized what he said and changed his posture. "Uh, Good." The vampire then sort of swayed on his feet like he was unsure of what to do. "....Do you want us to go?"

"No, no. You have a right to be here, and honestly I deserve-"

"That's not true." He cut me off, and I had to remain strong against those blue eyes of his with the look he gave me. "....God, this is hard." He let his head fall back as he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah." I cleared my throat.

"I think we'll go." Spike pointed towards the doors and it seemed as if he was going to say something else, but just clenched his jaw instead and waved a hand towards the people. "We'll just go- give my best or whatever to the happy couple."

"I will." I felt a faint smile on my lips while nodding.

"It's nice to watch you be happy." The bleached blond smiled softly. "For them. I don't see it a lot. You, uh....you glow."

"That's because the dress is radioactive or I'm about to burst into flames." I joked, making him chuckle. It was at times like these when he was so....' _human_ ' that I would honestly forget sometimes that he was 'William the Bloody.' Maybe it was because of this that I got so close to him? "I should get back to...." I trailed off while gesturing, and he nodded.

"And it hurts?" He asked as I was walking past him. Looking over my shoulder, I felt my jaw clench before I answered.

"Yeah."

"Thanks." And he walked off, grabbing his date before leading her out.

"No problem." I whispered even though he couldn't hear me.

~

"Aud, I need your help stalling!" Buffy whispered while grabbing my arm.

"What's wrong?"

"Xander's missing!"

"Missing?!" I hissed while looking around. "Why do you need me to stall? I should track him."

"In this rain? Good luck." Buffy popped off and I sighed.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Do you think you're hot enough to do some fire breathing tricks? The Harris' won't think you're, you know, _actually_ breathing fire and it'll keep them occupied. The juggling and charades got old." Slipping out of my seat, I went up to the stage and grabbed the mic.

"Who's got a lighter?" I asked, and a few people raised their hands. "Great." Taking the nearest one, I stepped back from the microphone and checked to see how high the ceiling was. Without explaining what I was about to do, I raised the lighter near my mouth and flicked it, breathing on the little flame and turning it into a tiny flame-thrower. I heard gasps and sounds of wonder as I watched the fire closely.

"Where's those oranges- someone toss em up." I waved my hand and one of them went flying through the air. Using the lighter as cover again, I burnt the orange with my breath and the room took on a citrus-y smell. The shoot and fire trick seemed to keep them occupied until Anya's voice broke out.

"What do you mean Xander's missing?" And everyone turned to look.

"It's a joke." One of Xander's uncles laughed. "Xander's playing a joke. It's like one time, at one of Carol's weddings, I had this ape suit-"

"Oh, great. _Another_ Harris family joke." The demon with tentacles said sarcastically while throwing up his hands. "Why don't you have another drink."

"Drinking is the only way I can dull the pain of looking at your ugly face." Xander's dad swayed as he stood up and went to the middle aisle between the chairs. The demon that had spoken up also stood, and they seemed to square off with each other.

"You better think _real_ hard about this, Harris." The demon poked the human in the chest.

"Don't touch me with those 'nasty' circus things!" Mr. Harris raised his voice, and the demon did it again, challenging the human. Xander's dad swung and the demon ducked to miss it as there were gasps.

"That's it!" The demon shouted before punching the older human. Both sides of the aisle broke out into fights between the demons and Xander's family, and I stood there looking at Buffy, wondering what I should do. My gaze wandered to Anya, seeing her talking to a rather tall demon with a number of horns on his head.

"Anya! Buffy!" I was shocked to see the demon smack the bride, and I called out to the Slayer to get her attention while pointing to the two in the corner. The short blonde saw and darted her way around the fighting people. The fighting didn't stop until attention was drawn to Buffy battling the demon and Xander killing it with a wedding decoration.

Everyone clapped, but I didn't think they knew the severity of what just happened. However, they were starting to put the chairs back into place and sit down until Mr. Harris called the demons freaks again and the fight from before continued.

"Stop it!" Anya shouted. "Everyone, sit down. This wedding will go on, so everyone get back in your seats." And they all listened. Thank goodness. The ex-demon then went to go talk to Xander near the entrance and I got off of the stage to take my own seat.

However, only a few minutes later, Anya returned with tear stained cheeks and a forlorn expression. I recognized the heartbreak in her eyes and.... Oh, dear God, what did Xander do?

~

"Can we do something for her? Anything?" Dawn asked while picking up her mug.

"She wants to be alone." Willow replied. "It's what she wants. Oh, God, it just hurts my heart to think of her." The redhead gave a pained expression.

"I know. Whole thing hurts my heart." Buffy added.

"I thought they were happy." Dawn mumbled.

"They were supposed to be my light at the end of the tunnel." Buffy shook her head. "I guess they were a train."

"How could this happen?"

"I don't know." Willow said while I was drinking from my mug and looking out of the window. "I feel like I should be hating Xander....but I can't. I just....I just hope he's okay."

"I wonder where he is."

"I wonder what he saw that scared him so much." I spoke softly over the rim of my mug. "There was no doubt about how they felt about each other.... What's Xander so afraid of?"

"I don't know, but I wish I did." Willow sighed.


	68. It's in your head

Looking at the lists of houses Buffy had given me, I checked the address with the house I stood in front of. Buffy had the other half of the list and was on the other side of town checking those houses while I was checking these. There was a chill in the air, so I wore a hoodie and beanie to cover my ears.

Walking closer to the house, I peered through the windows. I didn't see much, so I switched to my demon eyes and saw a barren living room. There was no furniture or anything in sight, but it wasn't dusty either.

"Hmmm...." I hummed, leaning back to look over the house again. I could definitely smell that humans frequented this place, but I didn't see any sign of them other that the cleanliness of the house. Circling to the driveway, I glanced around for a basement window or garage to check because the feeling that this was the place grew as I caught three distinct different smells, all of which came from human males.

Nearing the garage, however, I heard a thud and turned to see a demon with waxy skin and bug eyes standing there. Its bottom canines stuck out with its under bite, and he smelled so weird....

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have seen three nerds around here by chance, would you?" I asked, but it seemed this demon was in no mood to chat as he swiped at me with his claws. "I'll take that as a maybe!" I ducked under his foot as he kicked, and dropped the list of addresses. I was kicking the demon's ass until he threw me into a car, and what looked like a massive stinger came from between his knuckles then. I was trying to get back to my feet when he yanked me up by my hood and stabbed me in the arm.

Yelping, my vision suddenly flashed and two men dressed in white were holding me down while giving me a shot.

"We're gonna have to strap her down." One of the men said as I was struggling against them. I couldn't understand what was going on, and for some reason I felt much weaker as they forced me down. It only lasted a few seconds, and then I was gasping while waking up on the ground by the car. ....Why did I just hallucinate that I was in an institution?

~

Walking home from work, I rubbed my eyes with the butts of my palms. I had had another hallucination while working the counter, only that time was with someone trying to give me a little cup of pills rather then some change for an apple pie.

Sighing, I wasn't sure how to deal with these flashes. Maybe I wasn't getting enough sleep. Or, perhaps, I was being driven mad by all of the toxic orange and pseudo meat I was consuming. I was patrolling with the guys that night, so hopefully that would help me clear my head....

~

Walking between gravestones while my tail was curled around a stake, I kept my eyes peeled for any otherworldly beings.

"Lookin' for me?" I heard Spike's voice from behind me and the crinkling of a paper bag.

"Not today." I sighed.

"Oh. Right, then." His lighter flicked. "Off you go. Did you cry?"

"What?" My brows furrowed as I turned around to look at the vampire.

"The wedding. Two parts joined for eternity, the great pelting showers of rice and so forth." Spike clarified while putting the cigarette between his lips.

"You didn't hear." I stated as my nose slightly crinkled at the smell of smoke.

"What? Families get out of hand? Tear the place apart?" He asked and I sat down on a concrete bench.

"No, well, yeah, but Xander ended up leaving before Anya could even walk the aisle. The wedding didn't happen."

"Oh, you don't say? Didn't see that comin'." The bleached blonde sat on the other bench a foot away.

"It was awful." I sighed. "Anya was devastated."

"Is that right?"

"Xander thinks they can still get back together, but from what I've seen that's not likely."

"Those drama movies those girls have you watchin' aren't documentaries of love." Spike popped off.

"He really hurt Anya, though." I shrugged.

"Yeah, well, some people can't see a good thing when they've got it." He took a drag from the cancer stick while pointedly looking at me.

"Spike!" I heard Willow's voice and looked up to see her and Xander.

"I didn't know you'd be tagging along. Where's Buffy?" Xander asked as I stood up.

"She'll be here in a minute." I replied.

"All right then, short stack. Let me get out of your way and stop bothering ya." The vampire got to his feet and picked up his paper bag.

"Yeah, maybe you should do that, Spike. Run along." Xander popped off with a smirk.

"Yeah, I guess you know all about that, don't you? 'King' of the big exit. Heard it brought the house down."

"I don't need this crap from you."

"Right. Let's not listen to Spike. Might get a bit of truth on you." The blond got in Xander's face and Willow had to step between them.

"Okay, okay! Calm, now! Let's, uh, turn around and release this, uh, very _manly_ thing the other way."

"I forgot. Willy-wanna-bite can't hurt me. Time to pick a fight, I guess." Xander got this look on his face.

"A fight?" Buffy looked a bit confused as she walked up until she saw the two males and my head was starting to feel fuzzy.

"More than happy to beat you right through the pain." Spike threw down his bag and I had to take a seat. Holding my head, it felt like my brain was swaying on a boat in the storm or swirling down a drain.

"Aud, can you hear me?" I heard an unfamiliar voice and looked up to see a man dressed like a doctor crouched in front of me. I was back in that room in the institution....

"What....what is this?" It felt so real, nothing like a dream or mere hallucination.

"Do you know where you are, Aud?"

"....Sunnydale."

"No, no, no. None of that's real. You're in a mental institution. You've been with us for ten years. Do you remember?" I looked into the man's eyes and realized he was speaking in Russian instead of English. His accent was thick, clearly having it as his first language rather than learning it.

My vision flashed back to the cemetery where Willow, Xander, and Buffy were rushing to my side. They reached out to me, but I was back to seeing the doctor.

"It's okay, Aud. Aud, it's okay." He was saying as I was backing further into the corner. "Look. Look who's here." I slowly raised my head and glanced away from the doctor.

"Aud?" A woman with soft features and salt and pepper hair was smiling at me as she took a step forward. She was on the short side, and had a warm radiance as she put her hands together. "Welcome home, darling." She knelt in front of me as a tear went down her cheek. My eyes felt like they were burning as I looked at every inch of this woman's face.

"Mom?" My voice choked.

"Oh, honey, you're really here."

"Mom."

"She's lucid! Keep talking to her. Maybe the sound of your voice will ground her." The doctor spoke gently as I felt myself crying.

"Aud, I missed you so very much. Can you understand me?" The woman reached a hand out towards me and I held my head while whimpering.

"No!" I cried, but found myself surrounded by Willow, Buffy, and Xander who were all looking at me with worried expressions. The cold air made me feel the tears running down my cheeks, and I found Willow and Buffy were holding my hands.

"Come on, let's get her to my crypt." Spike offered, also looking perturbed.

"Spike, just go, okay? She's our friend, we'll take care of her." Xander waved his hand while the girls helped me to my feet. I was so confused and lost- What in the Hell was going on?

~

"I've been....having these hallucinations- brief, but so real."

"Since when?" Willow asked while handing me a glass of water.

"Night before last. I was, uh, checking houses with Buffy. Well, not 'with' Buffy, she was doing the same thing on the other side of town. But at one house, bam, some nasty, waxy demon poked me."

"And when you say ' _poked_ '...."

"In the arm. With, like, a stinger or something." I sipped from the glass. "Then it was like- no....i-it wasn't _like_ , I _was_ in an institution." I glanced to the guys seated on the couch in a row. "There were doctors, nurses, other patients.... They told me that I was sick. Crazy. And that, um, Sunnydale and-and all of this....all of it was fake." I told them.

"Oh, Aud, that's ridiculous. What? You think this all isn't real because of the vampires and demons and ex-vengeance demons and a teenager that used to be a big ball of universe destroying energy and half demons from other dimensions?" Xander waved his hand, then realized just how crazy that in fact sounded.

"But....it _felt_ so _real_." I glanced down at my cup. "Not only that, but my....my mother was there."

"She was?" Buffy furrowed her brows.

"Yes."

"And your dad?" Dawn asked.

"No. And I was back in Siberia. Not even Pops was there...."

"Okay. All in favor of research?" Willow hopped to her feet while raising her hand. "Motioned passed." She added after seeing hands go up. "All right. Xander, you hit the demon bars with Buffy, and Dawnie, you can help me with research online and check up on-" I blinked and was blinded by white before finding myself sitting in a chair in front of a desk.

"Aud may have a full recovery, but we must proceed cautiously." The doctor was saying.

"Wait, are you saying Aud could be like she was before....before the incident?"

"Miss Giles, you have to understand the severity of what's happened to your daughter." The doctor walked around to the front of the desk and leaned on the edge of it. "Over the last ten years, she's been in an undifferentiated type of schizophrenia."

"I know what her condition is- that's not what I'm asking."

"Aud's delusions are multi-layered. She beleives she's a type of ' _half-demon_ ' partnered with some hero."

"Slayer." My mother corrected.

"Right, the Slayer. But that's only one level. She's also created an intricate, latice work to support her primary delusion. In her mind, she's a central figure in a world beyond imagination. She's surrounded herself with friends, most with their own super powers who are as real to her as you and me. More so, unfortunately, and has even created a father figure to replace the absence she's had of one." The doctor explained and my mother's expression shifted, pain in her eyes.

"Together, they face grand, overblown conflicts against an assortment of monsters, both imaginary and rooted in actual myth. Every time we think we're getting through to her, more fanciful, magical enemies-"

"This....this is Warren a-and Johnathan- they did this to me!" I tried getting up out of the chair, but the doctor eased me back down.

"Aud, it's alright. They can't hurt you here. You're with your family." The man spoke gently.

"Buffy....Dawn...." I whimpered, pulling my knees up and covering my head.

"That's the Slayer, right? And-"

"The Slayer and her little sister. To Aud, these two are much like her surrogate family, sisters in a way after her imaginary father figure left."

"Rupert?" My mother questioned.

"Yes, Rupert Giles. She also refers to him as Pops, but created Dawn to better fill the familial bond she desires. It even rewrote much of her 'history' to give the Slayer a sister. But, Aud, that created inconsistencies, didn't it? Your 'family', your friends, all of those people you created, Sunnydale....they aren't as comforting as they once were, are they? They're coming apart."

"Honey, listen to what he is saying, it's important." My mother had a pleading tone in her voice.

"You used to create these grand villains to battle against, and now what is it? Just ordinary people. No gods or monsters. Just three pathetic, little men who like playing with toys."

"....The circus." I mumbled, raising my head while looking at the doctor. "Was that....was that fake, too?" My mother's face twisted more with pain as the man pursed his lips.

"Unfortunately, no, Aud. That really did happen. It's the reason you were brought her."

~

"Look, Aud! I found the demon! It fit's your description an-and symptoms perfectly." Willow sat next to me on the couch while holding out a printed piece of paper. "Look, is this it?" I glanced at the picture over the description and nodded. "Good, then it's okay! I-it's pokey stinger thing is the antidote to it's own poison." Willow set down the paper onto the coffee table as I rested my head on my hand.

"....I feel so lost."

"I know. You're confused. It's that crazy juice inside you."

"Even before the demon. I feel so....detached."

"We've all been kinda slummin'." Willow fidgeted and I looked at her.

"I try to snap out of it everyday, but it's so hard-"

"Aud, look at me. You are _not_ in an institution. You have never _been_ in an institution." There was such honesty in her eyes, and I swallowed before speaking.

"They say I've been in there since I was 11."

"....What? Why?" Willow furrowed her brows and I glanced to Dawn as she walked in with a mug of tea. Dropping my gaze to my hands in my lap, I cleared my throat.

"When I was a child, maybe 4 or 5, my mother was killed and I was taken by the people that did it. She was in Russia to keep me safe, but the cold dulled her own powers as well- I didn't know that then, however." Dawn quietly set the tea down. "They took me, sold me on the black market, and I ended up a prisoner in a demon circus. They....they always had me in chains to keep me from running- I was fast and blended in with the snow." Fiddling with the hem of my sleeve, I went on.

"I was beaten if I didn't perform or did something they saw as 'wrong', a-and they weren't scared to make me bleed because I'd heal by time the show would begin. 'Aud the Oddity', they called me, made me do tricks and set me on fire because I couldn't burn.... I was there until I was 8. That's when the Watchers' Council and Giles found me. They raided the circus, killing and trapping every demon working there until they got to me- a scared child huddled in the corner of a dog crate." Swallowing, I glanced at Buffy and Willow.

"Of course, the people in the institution said it happened a bit differently, that my fear made me think they were literal monsters and the torture I endured made something in my head snap. For the years between the circus and the institution, they say my mother tried to care for me on her own, but just couldn't handle it eventually. I-I got to be too much for her."

"Oh, my God, Aud." Willow covered her mouth with her hand. "You never said anything."

"....I hate talking about it. Most of my life then was nothing but violating until Pops came in." I chuckled and it sounded sad. "I thought, because of how kind he was to me, that he must have been my father- returned to rescue me. I wanted that to be true so badly, and I still do despite knowing the truth, so I just don't talk about my life before Pops."

"I-I'm so sorry you had to go through that." Willow looked close to crying herself while Dawn was looking at me with an emotion I couldn't quite place.

"Aud, you're not in an institution, I promise you. Something like that happening to a kid, I-I can only imagine how horrific it must have been, but-but you're _here_. With us. Not doctors and nurses." Dawn gently put a hand on my knee in a comforting way. "We're going to get you that antidote."

"Xander and Buffy are hunting the demon right now." Willow added.

"No, no, i-it's going to-"

"It's okay. ....They got an extra set of hands to help just in case." The redhead reassured me.

~

"I brought you some PB&J's." Dawn came into my room with a plate.

"Thanks." I said softly as she set the food down onto the nightstand. "I'm okay, Dawn."

"The, uh, thousand-yard-stare really helps sell that." Dawn sat on the edge of my bed before feeling my forehead. "You're burning up." Her gaze then dropped to my hands. "....Aud, are you losing control of your human form?" I hid my clawed hands from her view.

"It's coming apart."

"What's coming apart?"

"We have to try harder." I furrowed my brows while closing my eyes.

"Try harder to what-" Dawn was cut off as I suddenly grabbed her.

"Dawn, we have to fix things. We have to-"

"Aud, there is no Dawn." I opened my eyes and saw my mother.

"Dawn?" My voice was weak.

"Those people aren't real. Say it, it will help you believe it." My mom had such a soft voice as she took my hand in hers. "Honey, I just want to take you home and take care of you. I love you."

"Mom...." I felt the sting in my eyes again as the older woman brushed my bangs behind my ear.

"I can't take you home unless you know they're _not real_."

"....Not real...." I mumbled, but was torn back to my bedroom as Dawn yelped.

"Aud!" I jerked my hands back, panting as I pressed myself against the wall and wildly looked around. There were tears in Dawn's sleeve and cuts from my claws where I had grabbed her arm. "I'm not even real there to you, am I?" Dawn sniffed, holding her bleeding arm as she stood. "Not me, Buffy, or anyone?"

"What?"

"You were mumbling it."

"Dawn, I didn't mean-"

"I have to go finish my chores." And the little Summers girl stormed out while crying. I reached out to stop her, but froze as I looked at my hand. My claws had drops of her blood still on them and I felt as if I was being stabbed in the heart.

~

"Aud, are you awake? I've got yummy antidote goodness for ya!" Willow was smiling as she stepped into my room, but her look faltered as she saw me sitting in the middle of the room. The tip of my tail twitched and I didn't even look up at her. "....I guess it's hard to focus on keeping your human form when you're like this, huh?"

"What happened?" I mumbled as she handed me a mug.

"It took a little longer than I had hoped- no magic and all. Went boom twice, but then I got it." Willow smiled again. "When it's all cool, just drink it down and everything should go back to normal."

"Thank you, Willow." I met her gaze while taking the mug, my claws clinking on the porcelain. My attention was then drawn to the doorway when Spike stepped in.

"Make sure she drinks that. I'm going to go let Dawn know everything is going to be okay." Willow gave a sad smile.

"....You all right?" The bleached blond took a step towards me.

"You....you need to leave me alone." I cradled the mug in my hands. "You're not a part of my life anymore." Spike made a face while nodding.

"Fine, then. You know, but I hope you don't think there's anything-" He was cut off when he stepped too close and got hit with some sunlight coming in through the window. The vampire growled before continuing. "But I hope you don't think this antidote is going to get rid of that nasty martyrdom. You're not attracted to the dark like I had thought. You're addicted to the misery. It's why you won't tell your pals about us." He pointed towards the door. "Might actually have to be happy if you did."

I set the mug onto the floor and stood up. My expression was void of anything as I locked eyes with the vampire, and his brows furrowed.

"Look at me." I said lowly.

"I am-"

"No- _really_ look at me." I felt my body change even more as my hair burst into flames, shocking Spike as he took a step back. "This....this is what I really look like, Spike. I have darkness within me and not because some evil men paraded me around like a pet in shackles and treated me like I was nothing, but because of 'what' I am. You look at this and tell me I'm not evil. They only treat me as a friend because they have no clue of what dwells within me, they've only seen bits and pieces, parts they can handle. I won't tell them about you because I know they would never see me the same. They'll finally know of what's in me because the first man I let touch me was a twisted monster like you."

"....Aud-"

"Leave." My voice had been an unwavering monotone this entire time, and I sat back down on the floor as I hid as much of my demonic self as I could, my hair flopping onto my back as it was no longer on fire. His jaw strained while his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. Spike didn't say anything, I didn't think he could really say something at all, and just stormed off.

Picking up the mug, I looked at the murky liquid inside. I thought for a second while holding it near my lips, but I ended up dumping it into the trash and I was back in the institution.

"I don't want to go back there, mom. I want to be healthy again." I looked at the woman with teary eyes before turning to the doctor. "What do I have to do? Please, help me. I want to go home with you, mom." My mother sad on the edge of the bed, a smile on her lips.

"I know, Aud. But first, you've got to get better."

"It's not going to be easy, Aud." The doctor stated. "We're going to have to take one step at a time. You need to start ridding your mind of those things that support your hallucinations. Understand? There are things in that world you cling to. For your delusion, they are safe-holds, but for your mind they're traps. You need to break those down."

"Really?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I'm talking about things that you want there. What keeps you going back?"

"My friends." I stated.

"That's right."

"They're not really your friends, Aud. They're just tricks keeping you from getting healthy." My mom added while taking my hand. There were no claws on my fingers here, no tail, no heightened senses- none of it. But there was my mom. She looked almost exactly as I remembered albeit older.

"You have to do whatever it takes to convince yourself of that, Aud. Whatever it takes. Only then can we begin to allow you to go home with your mom. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"Yes...." I was in my room again, setting the mug onto the nightstand. Mechanically going downstairs, I ran into Willow. She was talking, asking me questions that I wasn't even listening to, and in a split second she was on the ground. Walking over her, my tail wrapped around her ankle and I drug her unconscious body to the basement.

I ignored the waxy demon chained to a support beam down there and tied Willow up. I covered her mouth with duct tape in case she woke up too soon, then went back upstairs to find Buffy. She'd be the hardest to take care of, so I grabbed an iron skillet from the cabinet. Carrying it behind my back, I searched the house.

~

"Hey! Hey there, sane girl." I looked up to see Xander walking into the kitchen. "So, Willow get that antidote to you all right?" He asked while taking off his jacket.

"Yeah." I replied. "I'm better now."

"Great! So, that's settled. We're real, right?"

"You aren't." Confusion flashed in his eyes before I smacked him with the skillet and he went down. All that was left now was Dawn and she should be home any minute now. Tying Xander's wrists in the basement, Buffy and Willow were squirming and I heard the front door open. It seemed Buffy knew who it was and tried to fight more against her restraints.

Ignoring her, I went up the stairs as my tail swayed.

"Dawn." I called out while going to the second floor.

"What?" She shouted back in reply, her voice coming from her room.

"Come here." Watching the girl step into the hall, she seemed to look me up and down.

"Aud, you look sick. Are you all right?"

"You're the last one."

"Last one what?" Dawn furrowed her brows as I walked towards her.

"Dawnie, I have to do this so I can be healthy....so I can go home with my mom."

"Aud, you're scaring me. What are you-" She was cut off by the growl deep in my chest and she ran while screaming for Willow and her sister. The girl didn't get far, she was just a young human and I was a demonic apex predator. She was actually the hardest to take down since I had gotten the others by complete surprise.

Looking down at the girl that had gone limp, I tilted my head.

"What's more real, Dawn? A half-demon raised by demon hunters that's friends with the Slayer and fights other demons, or a sick girl broken from childhood tragedy?" Brushing some of her hair behind her ear, I was gentle enough not to cut her with my claws. "It'll be over soon. ....I'll get to be with my family."

Going back downstairs while carrying Dawn as if she might break, I set her down on the floor. I noticed the Xander was waking up now, and I went over to the waxy demon.

"Aud, what are you doing?" His voice was groggy, but I didn't answer him as I released the demon. "Oh, my God." Backing away, I tucked myself between some boxes under the stairs. "Help me, Aud! I need my hands!" I couldn't watch what was to happen next and buried my face into my knees.

"Aud?" My mother's voice was soothing, but the stress and anxiety caused me to jump towards the corner. "Darling, it's going to be all right. Whatever it is, it's not real. Just keep concentrating, I'm right here, honey."

"Aud! Aud, help me!" Xander shouted.

"Aud, look at me. I believe in you, Aud, you can do this." My mother knelt in front of me and the war in my head was becoming too much. Hitting my head onto the wall, she continued to talk to me. "You're a survivor, you can do this." I could hear Dawn screaming and I saw a flash of Tara. There was fighting and more screaming and I hit my head harder.

"Aud! Look at me! Fight it! Fight it, Aud! You're too good to give in, you can beat this thing. Be strong, honey, okay? I know you're afraid, I know the world feels like a hard place sometimes, but you've got people who love you." Mom grabbed my face in her hands....they were warm and soft and comforting. "I'll always be with you. You've got a world of strength in your heart, I _know_ you do. You just have to find it again. Believe in yourself. Find your spark. Aud." Something in me shifted as I listened to her and looked into her eyes.

"....I love you, Mom." My vision became blurry from the tears, and it was when she smiled and looked so softly at me that I knew for certain what to do. I wasn't so lost anymore.

"I love you too, my little Aud-ball." Around her eyes crinkled as her irises turned an unnatural fiery amber and her pupils became slits. For a brief second she looked exactly how I remembered her, as if by some miracle she had managed to reach me from wherever she was.

"Goodbye, Mom."

Buffy was just thrown back into Xander and Willow, crashing into a wooden shelf as Dawn was being helped to her feet by Tara. There was a feral roar that echoed in basement and the rancid demon burst into flames as soon as I touched him. I held him down, pinning him to the concrete floor to let him burn to death and not let the fire spread.

When I stood, I swayed on my feet and it was Buffy that grabbed my arm to steady me.

"You need to sit down, Aud."

"No....I-I need the antidote. I'm so sorry....I'm so sorry." I cried as the tears turned to steam from the heat of my skin.


	69. The devil says when it's over (over)

Pouncing on two vampires that were running past, I tackled one while only knocking the other one down. The one under me twisted and kicked out, knocking me back. Jumping to my feet, my tail swayed as I raised my hands and was ready to fight.

The other one jumped on my back, wrapping his arms around my neck while lifting me off of my feet. Growling, I briefly turned my hair to flames and burned his face, causing him to fly back while yowling and dropping me. Going back to the other vampire, we went hand to hand, hitting and blocking.

"How ya doin'?" I was momentarily distracted, seeing Spike sitting up on the fence while holding the other vampire by the back of his jacket. Back handing the vampire coming at me with my fist, he hit the pavement.

"Uh, fine. Same ol', same ol'."

"You know, I could take care of this guy if you want." I spun on my heel, kicking the vampire when he got back up.

"Whatever. Up to you." I replied just before I got tackled.

"I mean, sure, he don't look like much," Rolling on the ground while wrestling the undead, Spike continued to talk from his perch. "but I'd wager he could give you a bit of a nasty. Save you the staking. All you gotta do is-"

"I am not telling them about us." I cut him off while straddling my opponent and trying to shove the stake into his heart.

"Right, I'll just be dropping him down there then."

"You want to tell them so badly? Go ahead." I popped off, turning the vampire beneath me to dust. "Judging from how much they _don't_ hate me after trying to kill them last week, I'm thinkin' sleeping with _you_ \- they'll deal." I turned to walk away and I heard Spike drop the other vampire.

"In that case, why won't you sleep with me again?" I turned, staking the confused vampire that was looking at the bleached blond.

"Because, Spike, I don't love you." I answered while turning away. His voice was low, but I managed to catch what he said after that.

"Like Hell." He popped off.

~

"Do I smell pancakes?" I grinned while sliding into the kitchen.

"Yup. What kind of syrup you want?" Buffy asked.

"Butter pecan!" I took a seat at the island. "Dawn already at school?"

"You missed her by a few minutes." The woman shrugged while sliding a plate stacked with pancakes towards me. "When is your shift today?"

"I'm off today!" I happily cut into the fluffy pancakes. "And, uh, seeing as we're both off....would you like to, I dunno, hang out?"

"Aud, it's okay. Really. We know it wasn't really you, it was what that demon did to you."

"But I feel so bad! Let me just take you guys out or cook dinner or something."

"Dinner sounds good. Don't go crazy." Buffy pointed at me.

~

"Anya?" I saw the ex-demon sitting on the porch with Buffy.

"Aud! Wonderful timeing- join us in our hatred of men."

"....No offense, but I think you may be hanging with Halfrek too much." I closed the door behind me.

"What? Why?"

"Anya, you smell like a vengeance demon. With you being human, that's dangerous for you." I explained, and her eyes widened a fraction.

"Right. She has been kind of hanging around me a lot recently. Now, men. Don't you just hate 'em?"

"Not really. I mean, Pops is a man."

"But weren't those people that held you against your will and forced you to do tricks like a sideshow monkey men? Don't you hate them?" I knew Anya didn't mean any harm, but how she said it made me feel a sharp pain in my chest.

"Those people were monsters, not men." I replied, but that didn't seem to be what she wanted to hear.

"Anya, look, I know you're hurting-" Buffy began, but was cut off by Anya.

"What? Xander doesn't deserve to suffer for what he did because he's your friend and I'm not, right? I get it."

"No. That's not what I'm saying at all. What he did was wrong, and he knows that." The Slayer stated.

"It just hurts." Anya had pain clear on her face. "He hurt me so much."

"He really did. I just wish that-"

"Anya?" Looking up, I saw Xander walking up to the porch.

"Well, congratulations. They all still love you. Even after what you did to me." The ex-demon stormed off and the human male was going to follow her, but Buffy stopped him.

"Anya, wait-"

"Woah, woah, wait! Not now! Are you crazy? Bad idea."

"I have to go after her."

"Or, in the land of the sane, you can give her some space and let her cool down."

"That's not proactive guy! That's sit around and watch the rest of your life turn to crap guy." Xander waved his hand.

"True, uh, but at least crap guy gets to keep all of his appendages." Buffy crossed her arms.

"And I'm supposed to what? Walk away? Shouldn't be too hard, it's what I'm good at, right?" He angrily kicked the gnome at the base of the tree, shattering it and causing me to look at it in confusion. ....When in the ever living fuck did that get there?

"Okay, see, that's exactly why a heart to heart is probably not your best course of action right now. You're both angry and upset, and-" Buffy cut herself off as I walked over and picked up the Gnome's head. "What the Hell is that creepy little thing doing in my yard? Did Willow put that there when I was dead? Cause if I'd of known, I'd of crawled out of the grave sooner."

"Buffy...." I trailed off while pulling what looked like a camera out from the hollow lawn ornament's head.

"Oh, my God."

"Looks like someone's been keeping an eye on all your in's and out's." Xander said.

"What the....who?"

"Well, now, let's see. Which one of you has someone that's obsessed with you and hangs out in your yard to keep an eye on you, is in love with you and not getting any?" Buffy and Xander both looked at me as I held the camera.

~

"What's this?" Spike asked flatly while holding up the little device.

"A camera, dumbass. What's it look like?"

"Yeah, I got that part. Why am I holdin' it?"

"Someone was using it to spy on our house. Xander and Buffy thinks it's you spying on me." I crossed my arms and watched the vampire's expression change.

"Oh, the great _Xander_ and the _Slayer_ think so?" He dropped his hand to his side. "Shudder and gasp, then it must be true."

"Spike-"

"That ponce has always had it out for me. Every chance he gets, he sticks- ....You believe them, don't you? You think I was spying on you?" His brows knit together. "You think I could do that to you?"

"Because you don't lie, or cheat, or steal, or manipulate, or-"

"I don't hurt you." Spike's voice was soft as he handed me the camera.

"....I know." I dropped my gaze to the camera.

"No you don't. I've tried to make it clear to you, but you won't see it." The bleached blond shook his head. "Something happened to me....the way I feel....about you. It's different. And no matter how hard you try to convince yourself it isn't, it's real." I took a second before I replied.

"I can't tell you what you want to hear, Spike. I can't, and I'm sorry. You....you _have_ to move on. I can't give you-"

"Get out." The vampire lowly growled. ....It hurt again. Deep in my chest it hurt. Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I quietly left his crypt and returned home.

"It's not Spike's. Honestly, I think it's meant for Buffy." I stated while setting it onto the dining room table.

"For me?"

"You know, those creeps that have been after you." I rose my brows and realization dawned on her face.

"Willow. We need Willow." Buffy pointed. "Willow!" She shouted up the stairs and within fifteen minutes the redhead was set up with her laptop and hooking the camera into it. "Can you see who's getting the camera signal?"

"We should have something once I get tapped into the fiber optic network." Willow answered. "We're going to use the feedback relay to get their signal routed into our system."

"Okay, if it's not Spike- I'm not saying I believe it- but if it's not Spike, I think it's a definite on who's behind this." Xander gestured.

"I want to find these guys." Buffy stressed.

"Hey, hey. I think I've got something." Willow furrowed her brows.

"Talk to me, Wil."

"Well, the technology is pretty sophisticated. Lots of booby traps and firewall stuff."

"Can you get us a location?" I asked.

"Okay, I'm still _me_. Just one- ....Woah."

"What?" Buffy tensed.

"There are other cameras. Oh, my God. The _Doublemeat Palace_ , _The Bronze_ , my classes on campus, Xander's site...."

"What?"

"You mean they've been spying on all these places?" Xander shifted in his seat.

"I can tell there are more feeds, I, uh, I'm just having a harder time pin-pointing them." I bit my lip while listening to Willow's fingers tap away on the keyboard. "Here- I think there's just a couple more transmitters in the network. I just have to- ugh. I almost got a picture on em. ....I think I've got _The Magic Box_ \- Woah." The redhead made a face as she literally stood up out of her chair. "Wait, Xander, no!" She raised her hands as the man went to look. Buffy and I followed, wanting to know what it was.

"Oh, God...."

....I couldn't verbalize how I felt at that moment, looking at the laptop screen showing the feed from _The Magic Box_. However, I could best describe it as cold barb-wire constricting around my heart before it was ripped out of my chest while still beating. I had the urge to scream, to cry, to break something all at once, but I just....stood there. My eyes glued to the camera feed being displayed that showed Spike fucking Anya on the table in _The Magic Box._

"Hey, guys. What's up?" Dawn came over, seeing the screen before Willow could cover her eyes.

"I.... What is she...." Xander sounded confused and hurt.

"....Aud?" Willow saw the look on my face and I tore my eyes from the laptop. I didn't say anything before turning away and going out the back door. So this was heartbreak.

So I was actually in love with Spike.

Fucking Hell.

I wasn't really thinking when I punch the trunk of a large tree in the back yard, but the sting from my cut knuckles was nothing compared to the hole in my chest. I didn't think heartache was so extreme, so _raw_.

"Aud?" Swallowing as I clenched my jaw, I looked over my shoulder to see Dawn. "I want you to be honest with me....are you in love with Spike?" Oh, why did she have to ask that? Why now after I had _finally_ realized what that feeling was? It made sense looking back on it now- the nervous fidgeting, the hands in my back pockets, the fluttering in my chest, the tugs in my gut, and how it hurt so much to see the pain in his eyes that I caused.

"I apparently do." I laughed, but it sounded just as broken as I felt while I pulled my fist from the hole in the tree.

"So this is what you've been hiding from me? You and Spike?"

"It's over now. Has been for a little while now." I shook my hand, sending drops of blood to the ground.

"I wish you would have told me."

"I thought you guys would hate me. And honestly....I didn't even know I was in love until I saw-" I cut myself off with a sigh.

"I can understand that." She spoke softly. "I know it must hurt- to feel like you have to hide, to have to keep secrets from everybody."

"Aud! Xander's gone and he took Buffy's axe. She already left to get him, but who knows what's going to....happen...." Willow trailed off, seeing the hole in the tree before looking rather confused.

It didn't even take me a second to put 2 and 2 together to figure out what Xander was planning and I dashed around the house and ran down the street towards The Magic Box.

I arrived just as Buffy was pulling Xander off of Spike, and I slowed down to a stop across the street. Oh, God, it hurt even more seeing him in person and Anya jumping between the two males.

"Don't even try to deny it!" I heard Xander "Cause I saw it all, the whole beautiful show."

"How? It was just-It- It was just a _thing_ , I f-I felt bad and he was just _there_ , I...."

"Oh, oh, okay! So you _had_ to do it? Like Mount Everest. Like I used to be."

"And then you weren't! _You_ left _me_ , Xander. At the alter! I don't owe you _anything_!"

"So you go out and bang the first body you could find? Dead or alive?" Xander shouted.

"Where do _you_ get off judging _me_?"

"When this is your solution to our problems. I hurt you, and you get me back. Very mature."

"No. The mature solution is for you to spend your whole life telling stupid, pointless jokes so that _no one_ will notice that you're just a scared, insecure, little boy!"

"I'm not joking now. You let that evil, soulless _thing_ touch you. You wanted me to feel something? Congratulations, it worked. I look at you....and I feel _sick_....because you had sex with _that_." Xander pointed at the vampire.

"It was good enough for Aud." Spike popped off as he stood up all of the way.

"Shut up and leave her out of-" Xander turned, cutting himself off when he saw me in the street. They all turned to look at me now.

"Aud?" Anya seemed to find it hard to comprehend what was just said. I was quiet, but they could read it all in my face.

"....I don't want to know this." Xander dropped the wooden stake he had been holding and looked at me with such _disgust_. "I don't want to know any of this." The man stormed off, not even looking at me as he whisked right past. I, myself, slowly walked between Anya and Buffy as they were still looking at me with mixed emotions. Locking eyes with Spike, I grabbed the front of his jacket and swung him around, throwing him to the ground to where he laid on his back in the street.

The leather of his jacket was punctured by my claws, and there was a storm of hurt and varying feelings swirling in my heart and in my head, and as I looked down at the shocked vampire, I wanted to hit him.

"....Aud, you-"

"Shut up." I interrupted Spike, sniffing as I was trying to fight the tears I wasn't even aware had been welling up in my eyes. "Just.... _shut up_." Swallowing, I let go of his jacket, unable to punch him like I so wanted to. "I can't- I have to go."

"Aud!" I heard Buffy call me as I stepped over Spike and walked away. "Aud!"

Love. What a cruel thing. It had made me it's bitch without even me knowing. Screw love. Screw heartbreak. Just fuck it all- I'm going back to the way I was. If I couldn't feel attraction or love, then I wouldn't ever have to feel this excruciating pain inside of me.


	70. You sound like him

Sighing, I strolled through the park barefoot, letting the sun warm my skin as the grass was soft beneath my feet. My hands were shoved into my jacket pockets until my phone started ringing. Without even looking at who it was, I pulled it out, broke it in half, and then tossed it over my shoulder.

Whistling, I laced my fingers behind my head and continued my pleasant walk in the bright sun.

~

"Yo, Anya, still willing to let me work?" I bounced into _The Magic Box_ , still barefoot since I had lost my shoes in the park. She froze where she was and looked uncertain of something.

"You aren't....you aren't mad at me?"

"For what?" I chuckled, dropping my jacket onto the back of a chair.

"....The ' _thing'_....with-"

"No, don't be silly!" I shrugged. "I had already stopped my thing with Spike, and we weren't even dating to begin with so it wasn't like he cheated on me. But let's not talk about that- How's your day been? Have a good breakfast? Lunch?"

"....Aud, I don't think I understand why you're acting so....chipper. I saw how you-"

"How could I not be chipper? I smell like the sun instead of disgusting grease for once in a long while, and to top it off I've almost no more secrets with my friends." I laughed while pointing. "So, _boss_ , what's the agenda for toda-" I was cut off as she hugged me.

"Aud, I'm so sorry." She whispered, hugging me tighter. "I didn't know you loved him, I didn't know you were the girl he was talking about, I didn't know. God, I didn't know. This is your first love and your first heartbreak, so I _do_ know your pain. For a thousand years I was at the beck and call to countless heartbroken women, so I know. Stop pretending. You don't have to fake it with me, I understand love and heartbreak better than any of them- it's part of my job." Anya spoke so softly and held me so tightly and the dam broke.

I fell to my knees, wailing in anguish from the pain and the hole in my chest. Anya continued to hold me even after I burst into flames. Not that it would have bothered her, being a vengeance demon again kind of gave her a resistance to this low level fire of sorrow. I clung to her like a child as I sobbed. This amount of confusion and hurt was unknown to me until now- I had no tolerance to it. I had only found out too late how I felt about that bleached blond, but it didn't even matter because I knew I couldn't be with a person like that.

Sure, he could be gentle and kind, but he was still soulless and evil and the bad that he does made anything with him impossible. Anya began to shake in my arms, crying as well because of her own pain. We both lost our focus to keep our human forms, but it was okay....neither of us were human. Anya wouldn't judge me on how I truly looked with my patches of pitch black skin, fiery hair, daunting claws, or even my tail and paws. Baring my fangs as my steaming tears began to drip like tar down my cheeks, I just let out all of my frustrations through crying.

We stayed there a while, however, Anya eventually went back to work and I went to the room in the back to lay on the concrete floor. My hair was still in flames, but I didn't care as I stared at the wall. All I had to do now was think- Anya had said it was best to be on my own to figure out what all was going on with me. How I felt about everything, what I was going to do next. So I laid there in my full demonic form and slowly blinked while staring at the little holes and lines in the brick wall even as night came.

"Go away." My voice was quiet in the dark as I heard the back door open and smelt who came in.

"We have to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"Well, this isn't just about you."

"Just leave."

"I'm sorry. Not that it mattered anymore, but I thought you needed to know that." Spike stepped closer, his boots echoing in the silent room.

"Why?" I had yet to move from my spot and was still staring at the wall.

"Because I care about you."

"Then you might want to try not sleeping with my friends." My voice was empty of emotion as all that I was feeling was being slowly picked apart piece by piece in my head.

"I didn't go to Anya for that, I was looking for a spell." The blond replied, making me scoff.

"You were going to use a spell on me?"

"It wasn't for you!" Spike huffed. "'I' wanted something." It sounded like he smacked a hand onto his chest. "Anything to make these feelings stop. I just wanted it to stop! ....Should have let him kill me."

"No she shouldn't have."

"Why would you even care?"

"You know why." I answered.

"....Because you love me?"

"No."

"Aud, I saw the look in your eyes. You can't deny it anymore."

"Fine. I do. But I can't."

"What do you mean you can't? It's not that hard! They already know about us, what's holding you back now?" The vampire took a few more steps closer and I propped myself up to look at him.

"You."

"What?" He gave a confused laugh.

"I can't even trust you, William." I stated.

"Trust," He chuckled while shaking his head. "is for old marrieds, Aud. Great love is wild, and passionate, and dangerous- it burns, it consumes." Spike reached out to touch my cheek, but I grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"Love like that doesn't last. When the fire's gone, all that's left is ash." I looked into his eyes that reflected the light from my fire, and I lowered his hand away from me. "What I felt, what I _feel_ , I don't want to watch that whither away. Being with you as you are- that's exactly what will happen. You're evil, and you're soulless, and I won't let myself be drug into the darkness and be snuffed out by you. You can't change your nature, William, and I _won't_ change mine. I live between the worlds because of what I am, but because of _who_ I am I have a place to call home and people that will love me until the end of time. I will not give that all away just because you want to burn."

"Come on, Aud-"

"No." My voice was firm, making him stop. "I've said what I've needed to, and there's nothing you can say in return to make me change my mind. I _can't_ love you because of _who_ you are, not _what_ you are."

"Then why the bloody Hell do you keep throwing it in my face how I don't have a soul?!" His jaw clenched.

"Because even without a soul you still know right from wrong and _choose_ to do what you do. You said you would never hurt me, but that's exactly what you've been doing."

"And it's okay for you to hurt me, is it? String me along and then drop me whenever it's inconvenient for you?"

"No, it's not okay. I never said it was."

"Then-"

"If you truly love me, leave. Before this becomes too toxic and neither one of us can make it out."

"Aud, you can't ask me to do that."

"I did, and I meant it." I got to my feet as he watched me. "Either you leave, or I do."

"Aud...." His voice was pleading now. "You know I can't do that to you, you'd hate me too much-"

"Now you realize that? Yet, time after time, you wanted me to leave it all to be with you. Is it now clear to you why I'm backing away now?" Anger, pain, and sadness swirled in his eyes like a cyclone as he clenched his jaw.

"Like they'd ever really care for a _freak_ like you. I'm the only one that truly understands who and what you are even when you don't. I knew you loved me before _you_ even did, and you know what else? I-" My forehead met his face as I headbutt him and sent him flying.

"This is exactly what I was talking about!" I shouted. "You think calling me a freak and trying to turn me against my family and friends is right? I had everything taken from me once before so I know what it's like and _never_ in a million years would I throw it all away willingly!" The fire on my head flared as I waved my hand. "I tried to talk sense into you, but because you're just so one track minded and don't care about anything but your own selfish desires, you're doing _exactly_ what I said made me unable to be with you." I continued to yell as Spike got to his feet.

"Like you've ever had everything taken from you, you spoiled little brat." He spat.

"4." I said.

"What?"

"4." My tail swayed as I shifted my weight on my paws. "I was 4 years old when I watched my mother get torn apart while trying to save me. I was 4 years old when a group of demons stripped me of all my belongings including the clothes on my back and sold me like a slave on the black market. I was 4 years old when the beatings started- the whipping, the branding, the breaking. Of course, no one would have ever known because of how I heal. They loved that bit. They loved to play a game to see what would leave the wound that lasted the longest. 4 years old and a demon circus buys me and treats me just as bad, worse even, as I was forced to perform and be lit on fire night after night after night for their amusement."

"I lost my mother, I lost my dignity, I lost _everything_ except my first name and that was only because they thought it had a nice ring to it- Aud the Oddity. I could hardly remember my mother's face without blood on it, and I can't even remember her name. So you want to call me a spoiled brat?" I shoved him back while flashing my fangs. "You want to be just like those men and take everything away from me?! You want me to love you while knowing what kind of person you are, willing to turn a blind eye to what you've done so long as you've gotten what you want?!"

"Get out!" I screamed at him, the fire spreading from my scalp down to my arms. "You're just like them and you wonder why I can't love you?! Fucking leave!" My roar shook the air and it seemed to finally get through Spike's thick skull the severity of the situation. He ran out before I fell to my knees again.

I was tired. Too tired to do anything now and all I wanted to do now was sleep for eternity. My fire went out as my hair flopped onto my back and I curled up on the floor.

~

"Aud. Aud. Hey, Aud!" Anya was shaking me awake and I groggily blinked while looking at her. "Good, you're awake. Um, I hate to do this to you now, but I just got a call from Willow and Buffy kinda needs you. Apparently the nerd trio got juiced up somehow and- They're at the amusement park!" The woman called after me as I was already running out.

I got to where they were while Warren was beating the shit out of Buffy. Growling, I leapt from the top of a building and kicked the human, the force of the impact only sending him back a few steps. He cockily laughed, grabbing my ankles and spinning in a circle before throwing me. My tail locked around his neck as I twisted mid-air and dug my claws into his black.

"Heard you got a new kind of constitution, junkie. What'd you shoot up with?"

"Oh, you overgrown furball, I didn't have to shoot up with anything." He pried my tail off and threw me into a money truck, denting the reinforced side. Rolling my shoulders as I felt some parts of my spine pop back into place, I met Warren's gaze and flexed my claws.

"This is perfect- I've been in a rather bad mood and you're the perfect stress relief."

"Aud, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Buffy questioned.

"If the answer is _burn_ , then yes, I am." My hair turned to fire yet again and I braced myself while taking in a deep breath.

"Go ahead, your little dragon breath doesn't scare me." I went high while Buffy went low, snatching something off of his belt while I distracted him with high speed balls of fire coming from different directions. "No!" He shouted as Buffy smashed two orbs onto the ground. Then- my stomach decided to remind me that I hadn't been home in a few days and was starving. Basic instinct took the wheel and I crashed through a window on a food truck.

_'Fuckin' lovely.'_

"Aud. Aud!" Buffy was pulling me out by the collar of my shirt as I was stuffing my face with hotdogs. "I don't see you for days and then you suddenly show up all demon-y and aggressive, only to then force your way into a food truck to scarf down junk food?" I couldn't really reply with my cheeks filled and my hands holding even more food. Thankfully, she waited until I had chewed and swallowed to get an answer.

"I haven't eaten since.... _then_ , and I haven't been so demon-y and emotional in a very long time- the hunger just kind of caught up I guess."

"Well, come on, before the police see you." Buffy huffed while dragging me out of the amusement park. "When we get home you're going to shower and then explain to us the whole 'Spike' thing- we at least deserve to know why- and you and Xander are going to sit down and have a nice chat. You understand?" My ears drooped, but I nodded.

"It's only fair."


	71. It's got me till

I don't know how it ended up this way. Just this morning I was groggily working the cashier at _Doublemeat Palace_ , and now I was finding out that not only did Buffy get shot, but that Tara was dead and Willow was on the hunt for bloody revenge.

I sat on the couch with Buffy and Dawn as the coroner wheeled out Tara's body and yet another hole was punched into my heart.

"So, that's it." Xander stated.

"Are the police gone, too?" Buffy asked as the man sat on the edge of the coffee table.

"Coming back tomorrow with more of their pretty, yellow tape."

"....We need to find Willow."

"Yeah, she's off the wagon big time. Warren's a dead man if she finds him."

"Good." Dawn's voice was harsh and cold.

"Dawn, don't say that." Buffy said lowly.

"Why not? I'd do it myself if I could."

"Because you don't really feel that way." I popped off.

"Yes I do. And you should too. He _killed_ Tara and nearly killed Buffy. He needs to pay."

"Out of the mouth of babes." Xander quoted.

"Xander." Buffy gave him a look.

"He's just as bad as any vampire you've sent to Dustville."

"Being a slayer doesn't give me a license to kill. Warren's human."

"So?" Dawn furrowed her brows.

"So, the human world has it's own rules for dealing with people like him."

"Yeah and we all know how well those rules work."

"Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't. We can't control the universe. If we were supposed to, then the magic wouldn't change Willow the way it does. And....we'd be able to bring Tara back."

"....And mom." Dawn added.

"There are limits to what we can do." The blonde stated while Xander rubbed his face with his hands. "There should be, Willow doesn't want to believe that and now she's messing with forces that want to hurt her....all of us."

"I just.... I've had blood on my hands all day. Blood from people I love." Xander looked up at Buffy.

"I know." There was sadness in her eyes as she looked back at him. "And now it has to stop. Warren is going to get what he deserves, I _promise_ , but I will _not_ let Willow destroy herself."

"Okay, where do we go?" The man sighed. "She could be anywhere."

"I can't track her, she's using magic to cover herself." I mumbled, causing Buffy to sigh and shake her head.

"We could, um....go to _The Magic Box_ , see if there's a locater spell. I-I can go if you don't-"

"No, no, I-I'll go." Xander fiddled with his hands.

"Dawn can't stay here by herself."

"Let me go with you." The little brunette demanded. "I want to."

"Oh, honey, it's too dangerous."

"But....it's Willow. She needs us."

"She does, and you'll help her, lots, okay? But first we have to get her home in one piece." Buffy explained.

"But-"

"Dawn. This is serious. You should be some place where you feel safe." There was a firm edge to my tone and Dawn dropped her gaze.

"....I want to go to Spike's." She hardly spoke over a whisper and my heart broke a little more.

"All right."

"What?" Xander looked at me like I was crazy. "Not _'all right'_ , are you kidding me? After-"

"Xander." I cut him off with a look. It was during our conversation to patch things up that I opened up to Xander about everything with Spike, including our last fight.

"I'll get our coats." Buffy rose from the couch and went towards the door where the jackets and coats hung.

~

"You'll have to stay here." I looked up, seeing Anya, Xander, and Buffy in The Magic Box.

"I just got here." I furrowed my brows. "What did I miss?"

"Willow came here and sucked the books dry, got a real power boost too." Anya gestured to the table stacked with opened books with blank pages. "With you being an Ustrina Augendae, you're basically a living car battery and she's the car."

"She means that if Willow wants more juice, she may come after you." Xander rubbed his chin.

"You've done spells with her already, so she knows how to use your power-up without hurting you. I don't think she would to begin with, but....she's grieving." Buffy sighed while shifting on her feet.

"So....I'm not able to be a part of this because Willow might 'use' me?"

"Aud, she's already extremely powerful and we need to bring her back down to Earth without having a _magic_ enhancer within her reach." The Slayer gave me a look and I understood. Scratching my brow, I sighed while walking further into the shop.

"So what am I supposed to do? Just sit here and wait?"

"That's all you can do right now, Aud. We don't even know the extent of your amplification properties, so for all we know if Willow got her hands on you, she'd be too far into the dark magics for us to pull her back." Anya fidgeted with the hem of her shirt while looking at me. "Hell, we hardly even know what all your demon can do- who's to say your mere presence won't cause her temptations and then we have to find out the hard way?"

"....I get it. Good luck." I mumbled and they each gave me a look before leaving the shop. Sighing heavily, I slid out of my jacket and tossed it onto a chair. Looking around, I couldn't just sit here and started sorting the blank books into neat piles onto the table. Once that was done, I went to the back room and found my fingerless gloves.

~

"No one is getting killed. Sit down." I heard Buffy saying as I came out of the back room while drinking some water. "We need to find some sort of magic that will stop Willow or something to slow her down."

"She drained the place, took everything." Xander gestured to the stacks of books.

"She didn't touch the basic magic books, but nothing in those will be strong enough." I added while raising a brow at the two human males dressed in all black as they sat down.

"True, but she didn't get this one either." Anya stated from behind the counter before she ducked down. I heard a key turn as my tail twitched, and she pulled out a small chest with a hand on the lid.

"What is it?" Xander went over to her.

"A book of protection spells. Anti-magic- Our last resort." The demon replied.

"Think you can work this stuff?"

"Huh, okay. Well, good news is the text is in tact. Bad news is, uh, can't read a word of it. It's, like, in ancient Sumerian." Anya glanced at us before looking in the book.

"Can I take a look at it?" Johnathan got up and was going towards the counter until my growl made him stop a few feet away. "Right." He seemed intimidated by be and was turning to go back to the table, but stopped again and turned back. "I just thought, you know, as long as you're protecting us, the least I can do is-"

"I'm not protecting you, Johnathon." Buffy cut him off. "None of us are. We're doing this for Willow. The only reason it happens to be your lucky day is because if Willow kills you, she crosses a line and I lose a friend. And I hate losing."

"....I get that. It's just, you know she's running out of power, right? I can tell. I can practically feel it. I dabbled in magics." Johnathon mumbled.

"I think Willow's in a league of her own 'bout now, dabble boy." Xander popped off.

"But still....burning that hot for that long, it's just a matter of time before you gotta recharge no matter how juiced up you are."

"Thank you. Now, you remember that thing we talked about?" Buffy raised her eyebrows.

"About the shutting up?" Johnathon asked and Buffy nodded before he quickly returned to his seat. My tail swayed with uncertainty as I looked at my three friends.

"Guys...." I spoke up. "What happened? Why are these two here?" There was a silent pause and they all had grim expressions.

"Willow killed Warren." Buffy said lowly.

"Not just killed- skinned him alive." Anya added, and I had to close my eyes for a second.

"So I'm more of a danger to you guys than before." I stated.

"What?" One of the males at the table nervously laughed. "She's not gonna go all berserk and demonic, is she?"

"Shut up." Buffy snapped. "And no."

"Then what's she talking about?"

"Yeah, I think we deserve to know if there's a threat in the same room as us." There was a moment of silence as we debated telling them or not, I mean....they were the enemy. _Are_ the enemy.

"Aud, you see, is a half-demon, though she's not a normal half-demon because her demon side can enhance magic. Usually her kind are killed and harvested for the qualities of their blood, but from mere coincidence we've learned that she can do the same stuff while alive. Ergo, Aud to Willow is a rechargeable battery she can use again and again because not only can Aud enhance magic, but she heals incredibly fast, so we have absolutely _no_ clue if there's even a limit on how much Willow could use Aud." Anya spouted while flipping through pages in the old book she had. "Hell, we don't even know what all she can do because no one here seems to know a God damn thing about her species." She scoffed while shaking her head.

"Thank you, Anya." Buffy rolled her eyes.

"Is that because she's from a different dimension?" The scrawny, dirty blond male asked. "Uh, we've heard a few things over surveillance." He quickly added after seeing the looks he got.

"I'm not from a different dimension, I was born here. My mother was and came here- that's how I'm half human."

"So if Willow comes here and gets her hands on Aud, who could even stop her?" Johnathon questioned while shifting in his seat.

"Who knows." Xander sighed.

"But seeing as she's not here already, that gives me a good idea of where she might be." Buffy said before fixing her hat and leaving The Magic Box.

"Aud, how did Willow and Tara use you in spells?"

"Why?" I walked over to the counter as she looked up at me.

"Because if I can figure a way to read this, you can help me."

"They just held my hand." I replied. "I think as long as you're touching me it'll work."

"Good." She nodded.

~

"Too close."

"How am I supposed to read?"

"I don't know, but I'm staring right at this stuff and can't read it."

"Well, how's the translation coming? What do we got so far?"

"So far we've got _'The'_. Well, either _'The'_ or _'Towards'_ , I'm not really sure." Anya sighed. "We can't do this. I'm in retail. Stupid ancient Sumerian."

"I'm pretty sure it's Babylonian. The text is similar, but the dialect is completely different." Johnathon was standing up again.

"Great. Babylonian. Thanks a bushel. Unless you can read Babylonian, why don't you sit back down?" Xander popped off to the short male while I was still pacing with my tail twitching. "Hey now, play nice fellas or you'll break our concentration." Xander said after the duo in black had ended up with the shorty pushing the other into a book case.

"Which means no protection spell." Anya added.

"And Willow will make you two _boneless chickens_ skinless too."

"Then what? You think your little witch buddy is gonna stop with us? You saw her- She's a truck driving, magic mamma, and we've got maybe seconds before Darth Rosenberg-" I kind of lost track of what exactly he was saying after that point until he said 'stop her.' "She'll finish us and grab her a nice little power supply to recharge whenever she wants on the way out."

"You've never had any _tiny bit_ of sex, have you?" Xander asked while waving his hand.

"The annoying virgin has a point. What if Willow flays their souls and comes after us?" Anya questioned.

"She won't."

"You don't know that."

"We're her friends, Anya. Her family. She'd never hurt us."

"She tried to use you for a hood ornament, Xander." Anya gave the taller man a look. "She doesn't care if you live or die."

"I guess you two finally have something in common."

"....I care if you live or die, Xander. I'm just not sure on which one I want."

" _Again_ with the comfort." Xander shifted on his feet. "Look, we've both know things might get ugly with the wicca-palooza, and if it gets really bad-"

"Lemme guess, you'll propose?"

"I need to know if you're gonna turn on me. Use this little _shindig_ as an excuse for some sweet revenge."

"There is _nothing_ in this world that would give me greater or more lasting satisfaction than to reap bloody vengeance upon _you_ , Xander Harris, but I _can't_. Not officially, not magically- So smile, it's your lucky day. You got away with it, I can't hurt you." Anya waved her hands and it was times like these that I didn't like how much I could hear.

"Right. Because you varnishing the table with Spike- How could that have possibly of hurt? It may have chaffed-"

"That wasn't vengeance. It was solace." There was a quiet pause. "Look, I really can't hurt you, so I'm just going to have to settle for hating you."

"If that's what you need to do." Xander replied.

"Don't! You don't get to play the martyr."

"I'm not."

"You know, none of this would be happening if it weren't for you!"

"You think I don't know that? You think I'm the hero of this piece? I saw the gun....before Warren raised it, I saw it and I couldn't move. He shot two of my friends....before I could even.... You want me to know how useless I am? That it's my fault? Thanks- I already got the memo." Xander's tone was soft and full of pain.

"....I was talking about _us_." And everything returned to utter silence other than the scribbling of Anya's pen.

Much later, in the center of the shop, it looked like Willow, Buffy, and Dawn were gradually appearing and Anya grabbed my hand while swiftly taking me to the front of the shop to hide from Willow's view.

"Dawn!" I heard Buffy.

"Johnathon. Andrew. You boys like magic, don't you? Abracadabra." The air felt electrified, and Anya's grip on my tightened a fraction as she was softly chanting. "Okay. Didn't see that coming."

"What was that?"

"We're alive!"

"You guys want to take it slow? I can do that, too. Ask Warren." Willow's voice sounded so cold and nonchalant.

"Don't!"

"Let's get out of here!" From the fact that they were still alive, I knew that the spell Anya was doing was working. I heard running footsteps before a door slammed shut.

"No, no. Stay. We're just getting started. I've got _big_ party plans. Where's Aud, by the way? I can feel her here even if I don't see her."

"Wil-"

"No, don't." Xander cut Buffy off.

"It doesn't matter, I'll find her after I take care of these two." Willow said, and Anya was still chanting. "Damn, that is one effective counter spell. Won't keep you alive though."

"Wil, stop. You need to give this up now."

"I get it. You boys put a spell on yourselves, didn't you? Protecting you from harm, from magics. That's cute"

"Wil, back off before somebody gets hurt."

"How about I back off right after? So, which one of you boys worked the mojo? Doesn't matter, really, I'm curious. Did you have Aud help you? You still got that sweet aftertaste in your mouth from it? It's great, isn't it? Doing magic with that half-breed is like a jolt to your system, like you're waking up, and there's a spicy taste on your tongue that's chased by this sweetness- I can't see why people would hunt her kind to near extinction for their blood when they're _so_ much better alive." Willow paused, but no one said anything.

"Fine. Just because I can't use magic on you, doesn't mean I can't use it on myself." There was chanting before Willow spoke again with her cocky tone. "Now I'm pretty sure I'm strong enough to beat you to death." There was a crashing sound, making Anya peek around the corner as her lips kept moving to form the words of the protection spell.

"I don't want to hurt you." Buffy declared before there was another loud crash.

"Not a problem."

"I said I didn't _want_ to," Glass shattered as wood scattered on the floor. "didn't say I _wouldn't_." Xander, Dawn, Andrew, and Johnathon then came hurry past and Xander tried to get us to leave with him, but Anya had to keep the spell going on Willow and I wasn't going to leave her and weaken the spell. More things were breaking as their fight went on while Anya kept chanting.

Suddenly, Willow came crashing right by us and smirked when she saw Anya and I as she sat up.

"Well, hey, isn't that interesting? Anya's still here and she's got Aud with her." The witch's hair was black as night while her eyes were like a bloodthirsty shark's. There were black veins showing on her face, and I could hardly believe this was how Willow was now. She shoved Buffy out of the way when she came to intervene and stepped towards us. "I think I've been beatin' on the wrong gal." Willow said while I bared my fangs at her and Anya didn't stop chanting. "You can't block my spells if you can't chant, and you can't chant if you're sleepin'."

Willow's hand shot out as she grabbed the demoness by the throat and threw her into a bookshelf. Her gaze then turned to me and the feeling I got made the fur on my tail puff out.

"Oh, Aud, are you scared?" She tilted her head back while raising her brows, but instead of verbally answering her, I went to punch her. Willow clicked her tongue as she grabbed my fist while her other hand wrapped around my neck. "I can do so much with you." The witch sadistically grinned and I could 'feel' her taking power from me. "And there's no one in the world who has the power to stop me now."

The door crashed open and Willow was sent flying by a ball of green light, causing me to fall to my knees.

"I'd like to test that theory." A man with a stern expression stood in the entryway.

"....Pops?"

"Giles?"

"Giles!" Anya and Buffy were awake now, scrambling to their feet.

"Uh-oh, daddy's home. I'm in wicked trouble now!"

"You have no idea. You have to stop what you're doing" Pops's voice was calm and low as he walked in.

"Ugh, sorry. Can't do that. I'm not finished yet." Willow replied.

"Neither am I. Stay down." Pops made a gesture and the witch getting to her feet fell back down. "Aud, get out of here."

"But-"

"You can't win this fight. Know your limits." He glanced at me before gesturing to the door with his head. My shoulders slumped, but I knew he was right. Hiding my demonic features that were showing, I got to my feet and went to walk out.

"Don't you go anywhere!" Willow raised her voice. "I'm not done with you!"

"Go." Pops spoke over the black eyed woman, and I chewed on the inside of my cheek and left. I hated this. I wanted to fight, I wanted to help, I wanted to do 'something', but just a mere touch and Willow had me. Keeping my head low, I knew the best course of action right now was for me to go into hiding until Willow was taken care of.

Running my hands through my hair, I felt so frustrated but I had to be logical in a time like this. From my many times exploring Sunnydale, I knew exactly where to go.

~

The earth beneath my feet shook as I was curled up in the corner of the room. Some dirt, dust, and ash feel from the ceiling, but the place was sound enough that nothing would cave in on me. I brought my knees closer to my chest while wrapping my arms around them and the shaking stopped.

The ground tremored a few times more, shaking loose some rocks, but still the room held. However, after the last tremor and maybe fifteen minutes had passed, Anya suddenly appeared and was talking rather quickly.

"Aud, you have to help Dawn and Buffy. They're in a hole in the cemetery and I can't really get them out because I can't teleport with other people, so do you think you could come out now and kinda-" She trailed off, seeing where I was and looking around the place. "You came here?" She asked softly. "At least you're not too far from them."

"I'll get them. Where's Willow?" I asked while standing.

"Not being evil anymore- up on some hill with Xander."

"And Pops?"

"A bit bruised, but okay." Her words made me feel relieved beyond belief. "I have to get back though. You get to Buffy and Dawn, okay?"

"Of course." I nodded, hurrying past her and running out of the crypt and through headstones. "Oh, shit!" I cursed, nearly falling into the pit when I found it. Backing up, I went to my hands and knees and crawled to the edge. "Hey! You guys down there?" I called.

"Aud?"

"Aud!" Their faces came in to view and I smiled.

"All right, I'mma get you guys out, okay? I don't have a rope, so just hold up your hand and I can get you out one at a time."

"How?" Dawn questioned.

"Just hold up your hand." I kicked off my shoes and let my feet turn to paws while my fingernails sharpened into claws. Digging my claws into the dirt walls of the pit, I carefully scaled down just far enough to wrap the tip on my tail around Dawn's wrist. "Don't squirm or you'll make me fall."

"Got it." She nodded and I began to climb back out of the hole. Once she was fully on the grass above ground, I went back down to get Buffy. Pulling the Slayer up, she helped get herself over the edge of the hole and shook the dirt from her hair.

"Sometimes I can't decide whether to compare you to a lemur, a cat, or a monkey." Buffy chuckled.

"Thanks, Buffy." I laughed.


	72. Now it's over

Stuffing my face with cereal, I was packing my lunch of five PB&J's and random snacks in between scoops. I had work to get to, and since I no longer worked at the _Doublemeat Palace_ , I had to bring my lunch or go out and buy it during break. The night before, Buffy and I had taken Dawn out patrolling with us to give her some basic lessons. Buffy had given her a rundown on vampire slaying, and she sounded a lot like Giles while spouting her wisdom.

Speaking of Pops, after the incident with Willow, he had taken the witch back to England with him for a bit of rehab. I also learned that Buffy had spilled to him about the thing between Spike and I and Pops seemed to have....burst out laughing at it. I wasn't sure why, but Buffy told me that from that point on neither of them could stop laughing as she told him everything that had happened since he left before.

Scooping more cereal into my mouth, I dropped the spoon back into the bowl and zipped up my lunchbox.

"How exactly do you ' _make_ ' cereal?"

"Ah, you put the box near the milk." Buffy and Xander were talking as they walked into the kitchen. "I saw it on the food channel. Want something?"

"Thanks, I'm good. How are you?"

"My sister is about to go to the same high school that tried to kill me for 3 years, I can't change districts, I can't afford private school, and I can't _begin_ to prepare her for what could possibly come out of there." Buffy replied.

"....Was it that bad?" I asked after swallowing. "I mean, I saw how the school used to be all burnt out and with mayor guts everywhere, but...." I trailed off.

"One of the principals was eaten by a groups of students possessed by hyena demon spirits." Buffy sipped her coffee.

"Well, here's something good for what ails ya." Xander waved the rolled up plans he was holding. I only knew what they were because I could see the faint outlines for the architecture schematics.

"Oh, got the rest?"

"Take a look." And the two went to the dining room where there was more space to check the plans. Drinking the milk from my bowl, I then took it to the sink and rinsed it out.

"Morning, Aud."

"Morning, Dawn." I nodded to her as she walked in and grabbed a bowl from the cabinet. "Any first day jitters?"

"Let's say my nerves are bleh." She grabbed a box of cereal and I went around her to grab up my lunch.

"I don't know much about high school, but from the movies I'd tell you to stay away from any horde of girls wearing an absurd amount of pink and or makeup. Don't talk to jocks shoving kids into lockers either, they're total assholes no matter what they look like."

"Aud, those movies aren't based on real life." Dawn chuckled while pouring her milk.

"That's what they said about monsters, and look at our life- nothing but demons and ex-demons and half-demons and-"

"Got it, Aud."

"Good." I smiled while pointing before going into the dining room.

"There are no pentagrams, no secret passageways, everything's up to code, and safe as houses." Xander was saying.

"Nothing creepy? Strange? From the beyond?" Buffy asked, and Dawn did too as she came in, but her mouth was full of cereal and I didn't understand it.

"Well, there is one interesting detail. I....managed to scale up the plans from the old high school- Remember where Sunnydale's very own Hellmouth was?"

"Under the library."

"Right. So I lined up the plans- new and old- and right exactly where the Library was, we now have...." Xander trailed off, putting the plans onto the window to let both sets show.

"The principal's office." Buffy stated and the man nodded.

"....What's with the suit?"

"Meeting."

"Oh." I nodded.

"So the principal's evil?" Dawn questioned.

"Then we're in a butt-load of danger." Buffy popped off.

"The last two principal's were eaten. Who even applies to that job?"

"Guess we'll see." The blonde grabbed Xander's wrist to look at his watch. "Oh, we have to leave now. You have everything? Books, lunch, stake?"

"Checked thrice." Dawn glanced to her bag on the table.

"Oh, that reminds me!" I quickly ran upstairs to grab my phone off of the nightstand. Skipping steps on the way back down, I returned just in time to see Dawn getting her own new phone.

"I have my number, Xander's number, and Aud's number already in there. If you need any of us, don't hesitate."

~

Getting to the school, Buffy got out with Dawn to walk her to class, and Xander went to go find a parking space.

"After the meeting, I'll be on site. Until then, follow the rules, ya hear?" Xander said while letting some pedestrians pass.

"Yeah, yeah, you don't have to remind me every time." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, Aud, a tiny woman carrying that much at once tends to draw attention and you keep doing it."

"I'll carry less."

"Thank you. People are going to start thinking I hired a steroid addict." He chuckled.

"Nah, you hired much worse." I joked and grabbed my lunch from the seat as he put the car into park. "Good luck with the meeting."

"Thanks. Good luck with the building."

"Thanks." I waved before heading off towards the part of the school the team I was in was working on. The company Xander worked for were tasked with rebuilding the high school a while back, and with the need for more workers, Xander offered me a job. Of course, I accepted it and quit the fast-food as soon as I could.

Sure, I was still working with nothing but humans, but I was free to roam as long as I was working, and the job was mostly outside. Nearing the Science Building, I could hear saws already going and some of the workers waved at me.

"Morning, Aud!" They greeted me as I found a place to stash my lunch and jacket.

"Mornin', guys." I smiled while putting on my hardhat and getting to work.

~

Carrying some metal beams on my shoulder, I used my free hand to pull my phone from my pocket and answered the call.

"Yo." I held the phone against my ear and turned the corner, going past a woman sawing some planks.

"Aud! I need your help."

"What is it?"

"Dead. Zombie-ghost things, I'm not sure what they are, but they're here and closing in."

"Where are you?" I walked a few more steps, dropping the metal beams onto the pile already there.

"I was in the bathroom, but fell through the floor. Don't come all....' _rawr_ ', I'm not alone." Dawn added the last part lowly.

"I'm on my way."

"And, Aud, isn't this reception awesome? I'm in the freakin' basement."

"That's wonderful, Dawn, but could you find a place to hide until I can get to you?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Good." Stuffing the phone back into my pocket, I ran back outside to where Xander was and quickly handed him my hardhat. "Be back- don't eat my lunch!" And I was off. Dawn hadn't told me which bathroom she had been in, so I was left to try and track her down. It was somewhat difficult with some of the smells these teens had, but I eventually found it....and ended up falling face first into the hole in the floor. Flipping mid-air, I managed to land on my feet instead of the hard concrete meeting my head.

I could smell another female with Dawn, but thankfully they stuck together rather then separate, giving me only one path to have to take.

"Oh, Buffy's gonna kill me if I lose her sister in this fuckin' maze." I cringed, but stopped running when my phone rang again. "Dawn? I'm almost there, hold on-"

"You're too late." A man's voice cut me off, and as I turned the corner, a decaying janitor stood there.

"Where's Dawn?" I asked while lowering the phone.

"I think she's lost." He nodded while tilting his head.

"She better not be. Come on, you're a ghost, right? What are you after- fear, revenge, justice for your death?"

"I think I'd like Dawn to be my girlfriend." A tall, lanky male that looked just as rotted as the janitor stepped into view.

"....I'm sure you have a great personality, but you're not really Dawn's type. She likes them less....corpse-y. Anyways, where is she? Dawn!" I shouted while looking around and a torn up girl joined the other two.

"She's not gonna hear you." The female said. "This place is like a maze."

"This place is ours now. It was built on _our_ graves." The boy added.

"All we want is for you to leave....so we can rest again."

"Actually...." I looked right behind them. "I'm thinking all you want is to get between me and that door you're all standing in front of." The janitor threw his eyes to the door. "Let's find out why." The boy came at me first, and I simply leaned out of the way to miss his fist and tripped him. Going for the door, I was stopped as the girl jumped onto my back and I was trying to wrestle her off. Slamming back into a wall, she fell off of me and I turned back to the door.... All three of them were standing there.

"In order to succeed, you must be willing to experience failure." I quoted before running at them. Jumping right over them, I crouched to cushion the landing and went to the door and swung it open. "Dawn-" Cutting myself off, I felt a heavy weight in my gut at what I saw that was definitely 'not' Buffy's little sister. "....Spike?"

His hair was longer and curly, his brown roots showing while his clothes were dirty and stained. There was a dead look in his eyes before something seemed to spark in them and his expression changed. ....Was this a trick? Was this something like the rotting trio behind me?

"Are....are you real?" I asked, and the vampire laughed while dropping his head before clenching his jaw and looking at me.

"Aud....duck." He gently touched my cheek, but I was still in shock from suddenly seeing him after all this time and so confused.

"What? Duck? There's a duck?" My eyes went wide when I heard metal whistling through the air, causing me to drop down just before a metal pole slammed against the thick doorframe. "Oh! Duck!"

"I'm too busy today, terribly busy." Spike said as he backed away from the door and the janitor swung again. Leaning forward onto my hands, I mule kicked the corpse man and sent him flying back. Getting to my feet, I grabbed the door and closed it to keep them out for as long as possible.

"We don't have long before they come in."

"Nothing comes in here." Spike stated. "It's just the three of us."

"Have you seen Dawn? She, uh, she came down here with some kids." I turned to look at him and saw him near the opposite wall.

"Don't you think I'm trying?!" He shouted, causing me to raise a brow. "I'm not fast. I'm not a quick study. I dropped my board in the water and the chalk all ran." His voice shook as he backed up further and I saw scratches all over his chest while his shirt was open. "Should of seen that coming." Spike laughed, but went flush against the wall while wrapping his shirt around himself as I stepped closer.

He wouldn't even look at me, but didn't fight back when I pulled part of his shirt away to see the marks on his chest better. ....It hurt to see him this way. From their direction and depth, I could figure what what had come from.

"What did you do?"

"....I tried....I tried to cut it out."

"Cut what-" My phone was ringing again and I hurried to answer it. "Dawn?"

"Aud, where 'are' you?" She spoke low and urgent.

"I-"

"It's in my head, it's in my head." Spike crouched against the wall, holding his head as he sat there.

"Did you find a place to hide?"

"A room by the furnace, I'm not sure where. They knew when we fell in- They dragged us in here and then they disappeared." Dawn explained.

"Yeah, I had a nice encounter with them, too." I popped off.

"Well, what do they want?"

"So far? To piss me off."

"Please, tell me it's working."

"I'm close to setting them on fire." I shifted on my feet. "I just can't figure them out- ghosts can't touch you and zombies don't go poof-"

"Not ghosts." Spike got my attention.

"Hold on, Dawn." I turned to the vampire. "Do you know what they are?"

"Manifested spirits controlled by a talisman, raised to seek vengeance. Four year old could figure it." The man went quiet again.

"I'll find you, and be careful, these things can hurt you, but you can hurt them too. Find a weapon, anything sharp or heavy." I hung up while Spike was slowly standing back up.

"This is my home." He waved his wands, gesturing to the dark room. "I belong here. Always been here. Cheers for stopping by." He glanced at me before turning away and putting his hands onto the wall.

"....Thanks for the info." I mumbled before he started to laugh madly again.

" _~Well, you're afraid of the dark and all alone, that's why I'm chasing.~_ " His voice was low and not really clear. " _~Strawberry fields I'll set ablaze, I can see God in your gaze. Oh, strawberry field, you're the reason I wait. Have some fear in your eyes, never take it away.~_ " ....What was wrong with him? I didn't have much time to think about it and left the room, checking the long hall before going back to tracking Dawn when I saw nothing there.

"So....talisman....where the fuck would that be? ....Dawn and that girl fell in through the bathroom, so maybe there? Oh, but I don't have time to- Oh!" I paused the talking to myself and called Xander.

"Hello?"

"Xander! I need you to find a talisman, might be in a girl's bathroom in the-"

"The one with a giant hole in it?"

"How'd you know?"

"Buffy- she just went in. Are you down there already?"

"Yup."

"Should I call her back up?"

"Might as well, I've got this." I said while following Dawn's scent around a corner.

"Then I'll get to talisman hunting." Pocketing my phone, I kicked down a door and saw the janitor holding Dawn by her hair. Drop kicking him, I landed next to the little Summers and she had relief in her eyes.

"Thanks, Aud."

"No problem. We just have to keep them at bay." The younger rotting male came at us with a broken pipe and I rolled Dawn out of the way.

"The bag!" She shouted, and I saw a sidebag on the ground. Grabbing it, I grinned while feeling how heavy it was. It was probably full of bricks, no doubt. _'Good thinkin', Dawn.'_ I thought while twisting to avoid the pipe that was swung down. Flipping onto my feel, I recalled the training from the Watchers Council and Pops. I may not use weapons often, but that didn't mean I couldn't use them.

Swinging the bag around like a flail on a long chain, I fought the three spirits as they kept getting back up and coming at me. I noticed a boy and girl huddled in one corner while Dawn was just standing out of the way. Using the strap of the bag, I blocked the pipe the boy kept swinging around and smacked him in the face with the brick filled bag.

The girl suddenly vanished and the old man and boy were left to fight. Disarming the younger looking one, I kicked him in the chest and sent him flying before I swung the bag into the side of the janitor's head. Dawn rolled to the pipe and tossed it to me just in time to whack the boy again. I could have easily kept going, they were nothing compared to sparring with the Slayer, but they turned to golden like and disappeared.

"Are they gone?" The boy in the corner asked.

"Yeah. Talisman must have be destroyed." I tossed the pipe over my shoulder before helping Dawn up.

"How'd you know it was a talisman?" Dawn questioned.

"There's always a talisman. Or ritual circle. What we should be asking is who put it there?" Turning to the other two, I glanced them over. "You guys okay? No one hurt?"

"No." The girl replied while picking up her things from the floor.

"I'm fine."

"Good. Let's find a way back upstairs then so I don't have to carry you all out."

"Buffy really wasn't kidding about this place."

"Apparently not, Dawnie, apparently not." I sighed.

~

"You guys will be fine, school can be a hassle but after what you've just been through, I don't think classes will scare you that much." I smirked while talking to the three of them in the hallway. "You'll be all right as long as you're careful. Oh, uh, might want to think about sticking together, too." I pointed. "Strength in numbers and what not."

"Thank you." The tall brunette girl leaned down to hug me, taking me by surprise.

"Yeah, I mean it. You are the coolest mom _ever_." The boy shook my shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Oh- 'Kay! Come on! Um, we still have a few more classes to live through." Dawn made a face and I looked at her.

"....Is it because my hair is silver?" I mumbled, and Dawn just shook her head before giving me a hug. Waving to the three as they left, they all smiled and waved back.

"Curiouser and curiouser." Looking over my shoulder I saw the principal- I only knew who he was through pictures in the paper.

"What is?"

"Dawn has not one, but _two_ interesting people in her life." The tall male had his hands in his suit pants pockets while looking at me.

"Interesting?"

"Carlos Trejo and Kit Holborne, right?" He glanced down the hall towards them. "Possibly the only two students to have been to this school with files about as thick as your friend Buffy's."

"You know Buffy?"

"I met her this morning with Dawn." He smiled. "And who are you exactly? A friend on the building crew?" He glanced down at my clothes.

"Friend and roommate."

"Oh, you and-"

"Before you get the wrong idea, we're like sisters."

"My apologies." The man smiled. "But I see you got those two socializing, hugging, and actually, if I'm not mistaken, headed 'to' class."

"Well, we shared an.... _encounter_." I crossed my arms while shifting on my feet.

"I would like to apologize again, but I forgot to ask your name. I'm Robin Wood." He held his hand out to me.

"Aud Giles." I smiled politely while shaking his hand.

"Giles? Like the previous librarian?"

"You really did your homework on the old school, didn't you? But yes, like the previous librarian- he's my dad."

"Oh, my, small world." Robin adjusted his posture as his smile then fell. "We have a community outreach program to help troubled students like them, and the money we could pay you wouldn't even fold and it'll just be, uh, a couple of days a week."

"....Are you....offering me a job?" My brows furrowed.

"If you're willing."

"As....a counselor?"

"Oh, we have a guidance counselor, but I was thinking the kids could use someone, you know, closer to their age who still has-"

"I'm in." I raised my hands. _'This is perfect! Now I won't have to find another job when the construction is done and I can even keep an eye on Dawn!'_

"Are you serious? You heard about the _money,_ right?" Robin lowered his voice while narrowing his eyes.

"I heard. My schedule might be a little inconsistent, but, uh, I'll work it out." I replied.

"That's great!" The man checked his watch. "Look at that- It's not even noon and I've already bullied my first family member into helping out." He smiled. "I'm gonna be the best principal ever." Robin pointed while walking away. Sighing, I nodded and turned to go back to the science building.


	73. Yeah it's over yeah

Running down the hall, I nearly slid right past Buffy's door with how fast I was going. She was screaming, and I nearly ripped the door from the hinges going in. She was sleeping, but I had no clue what she could possibly be dreaming about to make her scream like that.

"Buffy! Buffy!" I shook her as Dawn ran in. "Buffy, wake up!" She opened her eyes and looked a little confused as she sat up.

"I heard screaming." She tiredly mumbled.

"That was you." Dawn sat on the edge of the bed.

"There was a girl."

"That would be me."

"Uh, no. It was...."

"A dream. It was just a dream, right?" Dawn asked.

"From beneath you, it devours."

"What?" My tail twitched.

"Th-that's what she said, and then they.... There's more like her....out there, somewhere." Buffy looked to the windows and threw off her blankets. "And they're gonna die." She stated so calmly while standing by the window.

~

"Could you die? Cause seriously, speaking for everybody who are _me_ in the car right now, we're very excited." Dawn was grinning in the back seat and I chuckled. "I mean, it's just so cool! You're coming to school with me, like, actually coming to school with me rather than working outside. You'll be there, like, the whole time." She paused. "You understand that you can't talk to me, look at me, or hang out with any of my friends, right?"

"Unless you do something wrong, I doubt I'd see you at all."

"Why, because your dealing with troubled kids?"

"At a spanking new Hellmouth High. See, Aud, you're finally getting that high school experience. But, please, outside of drugs, violence, and unwanted pregnancy, and, uh, unleashing hordes of Armageddon that comes pouring from it's foundation every now and then, what trouble could these kids have?"

"Guess I'll find out."

"Those kids are damn lucky to have a friend I care for there just for them. I hope they appreciate it." Xander added.

~

"We sort of feel our way around." Robin said while opening the door for me.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Some students will be sent to you and others, I'm hoping, will start to come in on their own."

"Should I be worried if they don't?"

"You'll be surprised, Aud, you're the youngest and, uh, _least stuffy_ member of this faculty." He kind of eyed my band tee and ripped jeans. "The students will want to come in here and talk to you, and when the do, don't evaluate them, just listen. They need to feel like there's someone around them that understands them."

"Well, I'm a great listener." I smiled while looking at the desk space I was lead to.

"Now remember, while you are here to help, you're not here to be their friend. Trust me. You open that door and these students will eat you alive." Robin gave me a look and I pointed.

"You heard about that one principal, right?" I asked, referring to the one that literally got eaten by the students. Robin's eyes flashed with confusion. "Never mind."

"Okay then, and, Aud- relax." He leaned on the cubicle wall as the bell rang. "There's only three things these kids understand: The boot, the bat, the bastinado." He chuckled while I sat down at the desk. "....It's a bad joke with the bastinado, no one ever knows what that thing is." He awkwardly looked away.

"Wooden rod used to slap the soles of the feet in Turkish prisons, but if made with the correct wood makes an awesome billy club." I spewed out information from the Council, a bit glad for the weapons history lessons.

"I think you're going to fit right in around here just fine. Is there something else?"

"....I'm not complaining, but....you literally gave this job to a silver haired chick in a dirty shirt and paint stained pants- why?"

"These students need someone around them that understands them. I need someone who understands these students. Why? is there something about you that I don't know and maybe I should?" Robin narrowed his eyes and I gave a panicked reply.

"I eat an absurd about of PB&J's and it's borderline unholy." He laughed just before turning to the door as a teacher brought in two students.

"Oh, if you'll excuse me. First _catch_ of the day. I'll be in my office if you need me."

"Thanks. I'm just gonna....have a look around. Get the lay of the land." Then I dropped my tone. "Make sure it's all school-like." I sighed. However, I already knew the layout of the school after helping build much of it, but there was something I needed to check on in the basement.

Going down there, I thought I'd find him, but instead all I found were rats and a door that shuts on its own.

~

"And whatever it was, it was _big_ and strong, stronger than- I-I mean, I don't know how it's possible." The brunette woman was saying while Buffy was wrapping her hand in gauze. Xander had brought her in, running into her after something ate her dog. "You hear things in this town, living here in Sunnydale, but nobody actually 'believes' them. You know, you'd-you'd have to be crazy and- You guys think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"No, I don't." Xander shook his head.

"We've seen things too, Nancy." Buffy started to pack the first aid kit back up.

"And we're going to take care of this. It's your lucky night. You know, considering your dog just got all ate up and stuff. Hey! Can I freshen up your tea?" Xander pointed to her cup.

"No, that's okay. Thanks."

"So you say this thing just came up out of the ground?" Dawn furrowed her brows. "I mean without any warnings or signs?"

"Just this kind of rumbling." The woman replied. "You know, just like before an earthquake."

"From beneath you, it devours." Buffy mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing good." I popped off while eating some crackers.

"Sounding monster-rific all right." Xander nodded.

"Should we round up the gang?" Dawn asked.

"Good thinking except....this is the gang. Unless you mean you want Aud to stand over here instead of _all the way over there_." Xander gave me a look.

"Look, _Xander_ , you may be all open arms to complete strangers, but I'm not going anywhere near her with my crackers." My comment made them all look at me- Nancy with confusion, and the other three had varying looks between 'really?' and 'done'.

"Just put them down then, I highly doubt she's going to steal your _crackers_."

"That's the false sense of security she's lead you into."

"Aud." Buffy raised her brows at me. "This is serious."

"And so am I." The blonde's expression changed, making me sigh. "Fine."

"If it helps, I promise I won't steal your crackers." Nancy still looked rather confused.

"All right, look, Nancy, we're gonna get to the end of this. I promise you, if your dog is alive, we're going to find him. The only thing I need is a little-"

"What you need is help." A familiar voice cut the Slayer off. "Fortunately, you got me." I nearly dropped my box of crackers onto the floor but managed to catch them while fumbling. Spike quirked up a brow while looking at me and he looked ten times better than he did in the basement. He had on clean clothes, his hair was cut and fully bleached again, and he was wearing an uncharacteristic blue sweater that was rather....tight. "Aud." He nodded to me.

"Spike." I set the box down. "You've, uh, changed."

"I have." He nodded again.

"Clean clothes, not so messy hair, less crazy too." I popped off. "What do you want?"

"Easy. If you think I like putting myself here, surrounded by people who don't particularly like me," Spike glanced to Xander in particular. "to do wrong-"

"If you're uncomfortable, we can make you leave." Xander got to his feet and put his hands onto his hips.

"It'll be quick." The vampire then turned back to me. "We need to talk. We can do that here or privately."

"I'm thinking here. You know, in the company of good friends and pointy weapons." Buffy tilted her head.

"You said it'd be quick?"

"I did. Before I start, and for the record, last you saw me, I was a mess. Out of my head, I admit it. Last week living in the school basement....when you saw me."

"You did?" Now Dawn was standing and all eyes were on me.

"It was brief, but I was kind of more focused on saving you and those two other kids at the time."

"We can discuss this later." Buffy sighed.

"Whenever you want." Xander nodded to me.

"Sure, since that seems to be the only time you let us in, Aud. Whenever you want." Dawn's tone was meant to bite and it did....

"Now, in fairness to Aud-"

"Shut up, Spike." Xander cut him off.

"Give me a second." I sighed, quickly walking past everyone and towards the front door. Spike was a few steps behind and put his hands onto his hips as he stood there. "What the Hell do you want?"

"To help you."

"Help me what?"

"I was hoping you'd tell me. You're buddies with the Slayer who's connected to the visions, long line of worthies, right? I'm just a guy with his ear to the ground, but even I can feel it." Spike's brows knit together as he looked down at me. "Can't you feel it, too? Something's coming, I don't know what exactly, but something's brewing. There's some big, ugly, and damned. Makes you and I look like little-bitty puzzle pieces." He glanced to the door. "If I'm wrong, say so. Lovely. No hard feelings and I'll walk out that door and you can lock it behind me with any spell you like." I said nothing and just crossed my arms while shifting on my feet. "But I'm not wrong, am I?"

"....Something is coming."

"Do you need some help?"

"Since when did you become the champion of the people, Spike?"

"I didn't. I'm just a guy who can lend a hand if you let me. Ball's in your court, short stack."

"....You're an adept fighter even if you are an asshole." I mumbled before turning back to the living room.

"Okay, we're gonna split into two groups." Buffy stated. "Whatever this creature is, it's burrowing through solid ground- that means its strength and power is something we don't usually deal with," She swung on her jacket before going to the old weapon's chest behind the comfy chair. "but may have to get used to now that the Hellmouth is getting all perky." The Slayer bent over and grabbed a few weapons.

"Xander, you take Nancy home. Drive, don't walk, and try not to stop until you get there."

"Understood." Xander nodded.

"Spike, Aud, and I will check out the scene." Buffy then pulled a flashlight from the desk drawer and checked its batteries.

"I'm command central, so everybody check in with me." Dawn piped up. "....Okay, I'll be here doing my homework then. The other one sounded cooler."

"Be safe." Buffy smiled at her little sister before leaving and I followed her out.

Outside walking along the sidewalk, Spike shined the flashlight back and forth ahead of us while Buffy carried some rather intimidating blades.

"You two are awfully quiet." Spike popped off.

"I don't really like you."

"And I did nearly burn you to a crisp the time before last. Think that said enough."

"Fine with me. I was more half expecting to get an earful already. And when exactly did your sister get unbelievably scary?"

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked, causing Spike to turn around.

"I told you already- I'm here to help, straight up. That's all. Think this here is our spot?" Spike then pointed the flashlight to the large hole in the sidewalk with chunks of pushed up dirt and concrete.

"How'd you guess?" I rolled my eyes.

"I don't fancy stickin' my head in there." The vampire stood next to the hole while shining the flashlight inside.

"If it gets bit off it'll be a clue." Spike gave me a look and sighed while crouching down. He pushed the larger bits of sidewalk out of the way, and I unconsciously slid my hands into my back pockets.

"....So what happened to you?"

"You saw me. Those ghostly types in the school basement got in my head. Made me flat out bug-shagging crazy. And I'm not exactly braggin' about it, but they were....stronger than I was. Made me see things. Do things." He answered while looking into the hole with the flashlight. "Hey, how come you never told anyone you saw me?" The bleached blonde glanced at me from over his shoulder and I could feel Buffy's eyes on me as well.

"I was kind of hoping you were made up by those spirits."

"Sorry to disappoint." He then held out the flashlight to me. "Hold the torch for me, would ya?" I glanced back to Buffy, but saw she was looking around the near vicinity for clues. Sighing, I took the light, my fingers accidentally brushing his and causing my heart to flutter in my chest. ' _Oh, fucking Hell, Aud. Now is not the time for this bullshit.'_

Quickly pulling my hand back, I averted my gaze.

"Aud, I've changed. You don't have to be so scared."

"I'm not scared." I quickly said. "I'm just not going to give you any opportunity to try and get back in. You come back to town, make with the big surprises, and I can't seem to figure what your game is, but I know there's something you're not telling me- I can see it."

"You can see it?"

"Figure of speech."

"Well, you're right. There is." He dusted off his hands and stood back up. "But we're not best friends anymore, so too bad for me, I'm not sharing." Spike tilted his head. "We've been through things. The end of the world and back. I can be useful. Honestly, I've got nothing better to do. Make use of me if you want. And there's nothing here." He waved a hand to the hole. "Just a bit of slime and mounds of misplaced dirt and such. Whatever our beastie is, it's gone." The vampire then walked past me and I sighed while staring at the pile of concrete chunks.

Even after vowing to myself to not love him, I still did. I knew because the hole in my heart that he had left was just a little bit less empty just with him around.

Why was love so cruel?

~

"Is this the one you talked to?" Xander asked as we found Anya in _The Bronze_. Nancy nodded, and Anya laughed while talking to the woman seated with her.

"I tell you what, why don't we put a pin in it. Why don't you go get yourself a drink and we'll pick it up in a few. Okay?" Anya smiled as the other woman left. "Guys, I'm working here."

"We noticed." Buffy set her long blade onto the table in a threatening manner.

"It's why we're here." Spike popped off.

"Ri~ight. Did you turn this nice lady's ex into a giant worm monster?" Xander waved to Nancy and Anya laughed again.

"Yes."

"No way! Are you saying that _thing_ was Ronnie?" Nancy made a face.

"You wish it, I dish it. I thought we were clear on this, I didn't think you were gonna go and nark on me."

"You wished your ex was a worm?" I questioned with furrowed brows. "....A _worm_?"

"Well, we were just talking."

"Anya has a way of making things _happen_." Xander waved his hand.

"I had a quota, the guy had it coming. What's the big?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Nancy cringed.

"Anya, that thing you created burst through solid pavement and ate her dog." Buffy had this look on her face, and finally Anya's expression held remorse.

"Aw, puppy!"

"Wait, _that_ gets your sad noise? People's lives are in danger, and you give it up for the _yorkie_?"

"You never understood me, Xander." Anya rolled her eyes.

"Xander, who is this woman?" Nancy questioned.

"Anya? She's, um, Anya. My ex."

"Oh."

"Hey, nobody's bragging here." The demoness made to leave, but Spike grabbed her and put her back into her seat. "Hey! Hands off the merchandise, Spike! We don't need to go there again." She fixed her now short, brown hair.

"Please, I've already forgotten about our little time together."

"I thought you were Xander's ex-girlfriend."

"I am."

"But you and Spike-?"

"Had a thing." Anya waved her hand while rolling her eyes.

"Didn't last." Spike added.

"But weren't you and Aud-?" Nancy pointed.

"Briefly." The vampire stated.

"Is there anyone here who hasn't slept together?" And.... Oh, my God, I burst into laughter when Xander and Spike exchanged looks.

"Wh-what's so funny, Aud?"

"It's just-" I couldn't even finish because of the laughter and I had to put my hands onto my knees. "Fuck! It's just-" I laughed some more. "She asked, and-and-" More laughs. "Fucking Hell, you two looked at each other like-" My ribs were hurting and people were looking at me but I didn't care. I even heard Buffy snort.

"I'm glad you found that absolutely hilarious, Aud, now could we please get back to being serious?" Xander put his hands onto his hips, and I covered my mouth as my laughter died down to snickering.

"Okay, could we all just focus here for a second? Anya, this Ronnie, he wasn't a worm. Worms are, like, this big. This thing was like-" Buffy gestured to the varying sizes.

"Sluggoth demon." Spike stated. "Am I right?"

"Maybe." Anya rolled her eyes and sighed again.

"Wait, I-I didn't with for _that_." Nancy looked at us. "I mean, I don't even know what this whatcha-ma-call-it demon is." She waved a finger around.

"Sluggoth demon. It's very _large_ and very _nasty_ natural predator that died out around the crusades." The bleach blond explained.

"Same phylum, it's not cheating. I-I just embellished."

"Yeah, well, you can un-embellish now."

" _Bite me_ , Harris. I have _rules_ to work with. Vengeance demon, codes of conduct- But you'll never understand cause you're all still so.... Human." Her expression changed to a bit of a shocked one as she stood.

"I'm not. I'm demon. Just like yourself." Spike tilted his head. "Now, you're gonna turn the spell around like a good little vengeance demon or I- What?" The vampire looked confused as Anya was staring at him with awe and slowly grinning.

"Oh, my God."

"What are you staring at?"

"Oh, my God!"

"Right, let's go." He backed away from the demoness, but she grabbed his arm to stop him.

"How did you do it?"

"....Spike, what is she talking about?" I let the confusion show plainly on my face.

"I can see you!"

"Nothing." Spike quickly said while trying to back away, but Anya wouldn't let go of his arm. "Let's go, we've got some worm hunting to do."

"How did you do it?"

"Shut up!"

"It shouldn't be possible!"

"I said shut your mouth!"

"How did you get it?!"

"I said shut up!" Spike punched Anya in the jaw to get her to be quiet, gaining everyone's attention in the room. He went to hit her again, but she knocked him back into the pool table. She was in full demonic glory now while fixing her dress.

"I'm _so_ gonna kick your ass." Anya's voice was harsh as Spike hopped off of the table.

"Right, bitch, round and round we-" He cut himself off when I grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"You haven't changed at all." I said, seeing his face all vamped out as he looked at me before I punched him. He hit back, so I hit harder, giving him a bloody lip.

"Working out some personal issues, are we?" He smirked and I hit him two more times while the crowd was clearing out of the way. "Hey, I guess this'll be first contact since, uh, you know when." Spike leaned forward but had yet to counter. "Oh, up for another round on the balcony then?" He pointed, making me growl before I uppercut him. The vampire only chuckled, bleeding from his nose as well now. "Right you are, love. I _haven't_ changed. Not a _lick,_ and watching your face trying to figure me out was absolutely 'delicious'."

"Aud!"

"Not the time, Xander."

"It's Nancy, she's gone and out there all alone she's worm bait." The human male told me and my gaze met Buffy's before I ran off. The Slayer told Xander to stay and get Anya to reverse the spell before she was running out, too.

"Aud, go left! I'll go right!" She shouted before we split on the street. Shifting some to let my tail, ears, and teeth show, I went to the rooftops to keep from being seen. I listened and watched below while running across building after building.

Hearing screaming from an alley, I turned that way and spotted Buffy nearby.

"Buffy!" I shouted to her and pointed in the direction the noise was coming from. The short blonde made it just in time, catching Nancy as she was about to fall to her death while swinging from a line. Leaping from the roof I was on, I landed right on the Sluggoth demon, digging my claws into it as it made a sort of scream. It began to thrash about, and I couldn't keep hold of it because of the slime coating its body.

Being sent flying back a few feet, I managed to stop sliding back and my tail was swaying as I was ready to attack again.

"Leave the violence to _real_ demons, love." Spike came out of no where with a metal bar from one of the many windows in the alley and started beating on the demon with it. _'Real effective.'_ I thought while standing and rolling my eyes. "That's right! Big Bad's back...and lookin' for a little _**death**_!" Spike growled, stabbing the rod into the worm- only at the last second it was Ronnie and they were both screaming in pain. "....I'm sorry." He pulled out the metal rod and the man fell to the ground.

Grabbing a dirty blanket from a trash can, I used it to cover him to keep him from freezing. I mean, it was cold out for a human and the man was bloody naked. Slipping off my jacket, I pressed it to his wound to help stop the bleeding.

"Right. Wrong. Wrong maneuver. Not hardly helpful." The blond man was mumbling to himself. "God, please help me. Help me!" He screamed, making me look up at him.

"You're not the one who needs help!" I bared my fangs at Spike and he turned away while mumbling some more. Dialing 911, I talked fast because Ronnie was going into shock. "I need an ambulance, someone's been stabbed."

"What happened?!" Buffy shouted as she came running up with Nancy.

"One second he was a giant worm, and the next he wasn't." I stated while holding the phone away so that they couldn't hear me. Bringing my phone back towards my face, I gave them the address and switched spots with Buffy before going up to Spike.

"Deep, deep inside me." He was raving while pacing back and forth as he tapped his chest.

"Spike! What are you-"

"Get away!" He screamed, putting up his hands defensively as if I were about to attack him.

"Whatever you're doing, do it somewhere else!" Buffy shouted.

"Oh! Oh, oh, lucky call. Call it quits. Now that's an option. If only it were so easy- If only- If only- What the _Hell_ are you screaming about?!" Spike turned and yelled at nothing. "I can hear you. No need to **SHOUT**!!" He bent over before laughing madly and looking at me. "I get it. Jokes on me." He raised his hands out to his sides. "Lots of laughs." Now he was twirling the metal bar between his fingers. "Bring the wife and kiddies, come to see the show. There's gonna be a circus." I took a step back from him and he dropped his head before getting right in my face and whispering.

"This is just the beginning, love. A warm-up act. The real heavy-weight is coming and when _that_ band takes the stage, all this-" Spike dropped the bar while lifting his hands at his sides. "All this....will come tumbling in death and screaming horror and nasty bloodshed." He pointed to the ground now. "From beneath you, it devours. From beneath-" The vampire looked away while clenching his jaw. "....Poor Aud." He murmured, but then looked as if he was about to cry and ran away.

"Spike!" I turned on my heel, looking in the direction he had gone. "Buffy, I'll be right back, I promise." Looking at her, I held up my hand. "Just-" I sighed through my nose and went to chase the bleached blond rather than stay and talk. It was as I was going through the cemetery that I realized it was much easier to track Spike now. His scent, for whatever reason, was stronger than before- something uncharacteristic of a vampire.

To further my surprise, I tracked him all the way to a _church_ in the graveyard. Walking inside, there was hardly any light except for what shone through the windows from the moon.

"It didn't work." I spun around at his voice.

"What-"

"It didn't work." He was standing right behind me, holding his sweater in his fist and I could see the healing scratches littering his chest and abdomen. "The costume. It didn't help. Didn't hide." Dropping the sweater onto the back of a pew, he just kept looking at the ground.

"No more mind games, Spike."

"No more mind games." He shook his head. "No more mind." My gaze dropped back to those scratches and I felt a pang of hurt.

"....Tell me what happened."

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" He stepped back, covering himself with his arms. "No touching!" Spike's face was full of pain. "Am I flesh? Am I flesh to you? Feed on flesh....my flesh. Nothing else- not a spark." His cheeks were stained with tears and I was trying to rack my brain for any possible reasons for his crazed behavior. A curse? A demonic affliction? A parasite of demon origin? "Okay, fine." He dropped his arms while nodding."Flesh then. Saw it through. Get it hard, service the girl." Spike then started to fumble with his belt and I grabbed his wrists to stop him.

"William!" I shouted his name, making him look me in the eyes and I saw no clarity in those blue depths. He stumbled back, tripping over something in the dark.

"Right." He mumbled while propping himself up. "Girl doesn't want to be serviced. Because there's no spark. Ain't we in a soddin' engine?" He wildly looked around.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" I asked with pure confusion, unable to think of any reason for the seeming insanity he displayed.

"Well, yes. Where have you been all night?"

"You need to tell me what happened." I pointed at the floor. "You tell me right now."

"I tried to find it." Spike sat up.

"Find what?"

"The _spark_. The missing...." He shook his head. "The piece that fit. That would make _me_ fit. Because you didn't want-" The vampire dropped his head as he cried. "Oh, I can't. Not with you _looking_." He snarled before scrambling away into the shadows. "I dreamed of killing you." His voice was suddenly calm and my tail twitched. "I think they were dreams. So weak.... _you_ make me weak! Thinking of you.... Holding myself and spilling useless buckets of salt over your....ending."

My eyes followed his movement as I heard him sniffling and walking quietly.

"Angel he-he should have warned me. Think I couldn't get it, but it's here with me, all the time. The _spark_." I stopped as my shoulders slowly slumped and I put the pieces together. "I wanted to give you what you _deserve_....and I got it. They put the spark in me, and now all it does is burn."

"It's your soul." My voice held a bit of disbelief, but the evidence was all there, I had just been too blind to see it. I was raised by the Watcher's Council and Pops so I knew all about how Angel reacted to the gypsy curse.

"Bit worse for the lack of use." Spike scoffed as he stepped back into the light.

"....How?"

"It's what you wanted, right? This is what you wanted, right?" He looked up while raising his voice. "An-and now everybody's in here." The blond's face twisted as he tapped his temples. "Talking. Everything I did, everyone I.... And _him_. It. The other. The thing....beneath. Beneath you, it's here too. Everybody." Spike said as he walked past me. "They all just tell me go....go....to Hell."

"Why would you-"

"Aud, shame on you. What a man mustn't do. For her. To be her's. To be the kind of man who would never...." He turned his back on me. "To be the kind of man...." The vampire walked up to the large cross in the center of the church. "And she shall look on him with forgiveness....and everybody will forgive and love....and he will be loved. So everything's okay, right? C-can we rest now?" Draping his arms over the cross, smoke began to rise from his burning skin. "Aud, can we rest?"

I felt like I had been stabbed multiple times while looking at him. It was a sharp pain that physically brought tears to my eyes and it seemed no matter what I told myself or promised.... Oh, God, his pain hurt me.

"....Please....get off of that." I gently touched his shoulder, but he didn't move as he still laid on the cross. "William, please." Sniffing, I had to pull him off of it and turn him around, but he just fell to his knees, his arms limp at his sides as he cried. Then I did something I never really did before.

Gently wrapping my arms around him, I hugged him closely and the pain in my chest seemed to ebb away a bit when he clung to the back of my shirt and stained my shoulder with tears. I thought I had won this battle with myself, gaining the higher ground, but when it came down to it I was still just love's bitch and this man in my arms was the one I was in love with.

I couldn't help it. I couldn't control it. I couldn't do anything but hold him and let him cry. I couldn't pick and choose who to love, no, that was impossible. The only thing I could do was decide whether or not to be with him and I was at a loss for what to do.


	74. Who is the fly in your chapagne

Looking over the people coming off of the plane, I tried to find Willow among the faces. Buffy was fidgeting with her necklace while Xander held up his difficult to read sign.

"You think she'll get the sign?"

"Get the sign?" Buffy raised her brows. "I don't think she's gonna _see_ the sign."

"Why is it so pale?" Dawn asked.

"I used yellow crayon. It was a thing when I got to Willow on the bluff. Hope she gets it." The man sighed.

"Oh, tell us again what you said." Dawn gave him a look and I shook my head.

"Well, I was talkin' from my heart and I knew evil Willow wasn't really ready to-" Xander cut himself off while holding up a finger. "You were kidding."

"Mm, a little bit."

"We've heard the crayon speech a few times." Buffy nodded. "But not that it's not great, of course."

"I saved the world while _talking_. From my _mouth_. My mouth saved the world." He waved his hand.

"Uh-huh. I'm getting nervous." Dawn shook her arms. "Are you nervous?"

"Yeah. Gonna be weird seeing her. What do you say to someone in that situation?" Buffy asked

"How about saying 'Hi, Willow'?"

"Come one. You're saying it's not gonna be....the least bit strange? We saw her.... _kill_ someone, and she was _about_ to kill Dawn." The Slayer glanced at us.

"Giles wouldn't let her leave unless she was completed that....whatever _recovery_ course."

"Right." Dawn piped up.

"Well, whatever happens, I'm giving her these cookies." I said while looking around someone that walked by. "If she's back to being nice Willow, then I'd like to have nice Willow back."

"Guy's, I just noticed something." Xander stated while looking around.

"What?"

"Everyone's off the plane, so....where's Willow?" There was a moment of quiet as we stared at the doors and the surrounding area. The redhead would of had to have passed us to leave, but she hadn't at all....

"Is this the right plane?" I asked no one in particular.

~

"He _absolutely_ put her on the plane in London." Buffy said as we entered the house.

"She got off in Chicago when they stopped?" Xander was the last one to walk in.

"She could have fled anywhere."

"Maybe she should doubled back. Got off the plane after Giles left." Buffy suggested and I sat the wrapped plate of cookies down onto the table.

"Well, if she's doing that- ducking Giles- she's evil, right?" Dawn looked at her sister.

"Well, I've avoided Giles tons of times, just meant I was lazy, not evil."

"I hope your right because defeating lazy Willow, probably less hard." Buffy nodded.

"We should check the messages, see if she tried to reach us here." Dawn said.

"Good idea." Buffy turned while Xander shut the door, but a second after it shut, something upstairs clattered.

"What was that?"

"Upstairs."

"Willow? Is that you?" Xander called and I let my tail grow out. I hadn't smelled Willow in the house at all, so it wasn't her. Jumping onto the rails on the stairs after kicking off my shoes, I ran up the wood with my paws giving traction while going around everyone blindly walking into who knows what danger. "Aud?!"

Hitting the top of the stairs, I felt a warning growl rumbling in my chest as my tail swayed from one side to the other. I couldn't smell anything unusual, but that only meant whatever it was hadn't come through the hall. Straining my ears, I also heard nothing....

Buffy's bedroom door was open and a notebook with our phone numbers was laying on the floor.

"Aud, what the Hell was that about?" Xander was looking at me like I was a weirdo and I gestured my head towards the notebook.

"I don't hear or smell anything- It wasn't Willow."

"It was probably the A/C then, there's a vent right there." He sighed, but there was some skepticism on Buffy's face.

"How about we do a quick check just to be sure?" The blonde bent over and picked up the notebook before putting it back where it had been. "And no more running on the rails- your claws scratched up the wood." She pointed at me and I gave a nervous grin.

"Sorry...."

After searching every inch of the house, no one found anything. Nothing moved, knocked over, out of place, no demons or spirits or _anything_.

~

"No skin." Buffy stated as we stood over a body left on Xander's worksite.

"Tough to look at." The male sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets while looking at the blonde.

"And yet my eyes refuse to look away. Stupid eyes."

"I found it first thing this morning. I gave my crew the day off. I called you right away."

"I _got_ to get a job where I get called right away for this stuff." Buffy shook her head while my eyes snapped towards the ladder after I heard clanking, but saw nothing and turned back. "You got anything, Aud?"

"It's hard to tell with the smell of blood and death, but I'm pretty sure it's demonic." I crossed my arms while looking at the corpse.

"Are you sure? I need you to be positive it's demonic." Buffy glanced at me.

"I know what you mean." Xander tilted his head. "You're probably thinking Willow really is back."

"But I don't-"

"You couldn't smell her back then, either, Aud. She used magic to cover her scent." Buffy had a harsh undertone to her voice and I couldn't really argue with her on that.

~

"We can't use the blueprints to find our way around down here. It's like the walls move or something." Xander waved his hands as we were now in the school basement. "So how in the world are you managing?"

"If you had a nose like mine, you wouldn't ask. Being stuck down here, Spike also hasn't been much with the showering." I glanced down a hall before turning the corner.

"Sometimes I envy the super senses, but then with information like that I'm glad I lack 'em." Xander nodded.

"And now I can hear him." I turned another corner as I heard the vampire shouting about this being 'his' place and something about a slip. As we got nearer, even Buffy and Xander could eventually hear him. Opening a door, I saw him pacing.

"....And put your heart back in where it fell out and call yourself finished, but you're _not_." Spike said loudly while going between some spare shelves and standing there. "Worse off then ever." He touched his temple while looking at the ground.

"Spike." Buffy stepped forward. "Spike!" She repeated when he didn't answer, and he looked up, but didn't even glance at Buffy.

"You went away." The vampire said softly while stepping forward. "You've been gone since...."

"The church." I nodded, rubbing my arm. "I....needed some time to think. I didn't...." I trailed off as he nodded.

"We're here for a reason, Spike." Xander spoke up while putting his hands into his pockets.

"Tragedy. Is there blood?" Spike raised his head while looking down the hall to his right, but nothing was there.

"He knows. He must have seen the body." The human male spoke lowly.

" _You_ did it once. I heard about it."

"Spike, we need to know who did this." Buffy stated.

"Look at you." The bleached blond softly smiled while standing in front of me. "Glowing. What's a word that means glowing? Got to rhyme." He slid his hands into his pockets, but still didn't make eye contact with me.

"Spike, please." I mumbled, and his demeanor seemed to change as he raised his hands and backed away.

"Ah, I-I-I should hide." He touched his temple while going back between the shelves. "Hide from you. Hide my face. You know what I did."

"Boy, he's extra useful today." Xander shifted on his feet.

"This isn't the time."

"Everyone's talking to me....no one's talking to each other." Spike chuckled, looking back down the hall again at the same place as before.

"Might as well go." Buffy sighed.

" _Someone_ isn't here." Spike clapped as we turned to leave. "Button, button. Who's got the button? My money's on _the witch_. Red's a _bad_ girl." We stopped, looking back at the vampire.

"He's talking about Willow." The Slayer turned all the way back around.

"That means something because he's chock full of sanity." Xander popped off.

"Or maybe he saw her?"

"If he saw her, how come I haven't smelled her?"

"I already told you, Aud, if she's-"

"They think you did it." Spike touched his chin while looking at the ground. "Slayer and her boy. They think you took the skin."

"Is there something here?" Buffy went to look around the corner again. "Something that killed?"

" _'Her boy?'_ " Xander made a face. "I'm _'her boy'_?"

"I have to go." Spike stepped up while nodding. "There are things here without permission. I have to check their slips. Make sure they have....authorization." And he walked away.

~

"Okay, so I looked up demons that skin their victims and demons that flay their victims cause, you know, same thing." Dawn said from where she sat at the laptop while the rest of us were searching through books. "There's a ton of cross space. ' _Anything else, Dawn?_ ' Uh, eyeballs, toenails, or viscera? That's guts."

"She knows about viscera." Buffy nodded. "Makes you proud."

"Just skin." Xander made a face.

"Okay. I'll work on that." The little Summers girl looked back to the laptop. "And mind wanting to tell me why Aud hasn't stopped eating since you guys got back? I think she's already gone through half a thing of peanut butter and jelly."

"What do you mean? She always eats a lot of-"

"Not with her tail twitching like that." Dawn pointed out and I shoved another PB&J into my mouth. "Aud?"

"Steff." I answered with my mouth full.

"Steff? Is that, like, someone from work bothering you or?" Xander trailed off.

"She said 'stress'." Buffy clarified as I swallowed.

"We have no clue what this thing is, you think it's Willow, I think it's a demon, neither of us can actually confirm it because of varying circumstances, then to top it off I got a loony to watch out for living under a high school. Oh, and did I forget to mention _no one knows where Willow is?_ " I then took another bite.

"Spike's a grown vampire, he can watch himself." Xander waved his hand. "As for the other stuff, we'll figure it out. Eventually."

"Watch himself?" I raised my brows as the tip of my tail swayed. "The man can't even have a conversation with one person without the voices butting in. ' _Watch himself'._ " I scoffed. "Yeah, that happens and then we might have a stark raving mad vampire shouting at nothing in the school's halls. Oh, and from there the police are called, he's taken into custody, and then guess what? People start poking and prodding him and find out the blighter isn't even alive." My tail went back to twitching and swaying as I stuffed my mouth.

"....Aud, I think you might be a bit.... _stressed_ over more than that." Buffy dropped her gaze to the book in front of her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Aud, you've recently gone through a....lot of emotional changes and turmoil." Dawn glanced at me. "You know, with the whole Spike thing, and then Willow, and not to mention the time you thought you were insane. I mean, you didn't really have this much on you when you were with the Watchers' Council." My tail stopped as I narrowed my eyes.

"Valid point." Stuffing the last of my sandwich into my mouth, I turned my attention back to the book in my lap.

"Oh! Guys! I got a good one." Dawn waved her finger at the laptop and we all went to look. "A demon called Gnarl. He's a parasite with these nasty, long fingernails. He secretes something through them that he uses to paralyze his victims. He then cuts strips of their skin while they're still alive. It can take hours." She cringed.

"We didn't find any strips of skin. Which, by the way- Guh!" Xander shuddered.

"You wouldn't. He eats them." Dawn stated and my tail fell flat behind me. "That's why he's a parasite. It's like his natural food." 'Gross.' I thought.

"Dawn, you're new at this, a-and I get why you're proud, but I-I'm not exactly sure why this demon is any more likely than any of the others." Buffy said.

"You never said pool of blood."

"There _was_ no pool. Just splatters." And it was as Buffy pointed it out that it dawned on me.

"Dawn, you genius." I chuckled while grabbing her shoulders and gently shaking, and the girl grinned while nodding.

"Then this is your guy. He laps up the blood. You could say it's like his natural beverage."

"You're terrifying." Xander pointed at the little Summers.

"Now if we just knew how to find this thing."

"Well, we can go ask questions over at Willy's place." The male suggested.

"Or we could be smart. ....Sorry, Xander." Buffy nervously smiled while standing.

"What?"

"Well, whoever did this had to get blood on them, which means they left a trail."

"Right. Minute traces of blood." Dawn nodded.

"And we have a way to track it."

"We have a- Oh! I get it."

"What?" Xander asked again. "How- What's going on?"

~

"William's a good boy. Carries the water, carries the scent. Supposed to get easier, i'n't it? Help the help- but it doesn't. Still so heavy." Spike was talking to himself again as we were following him through the woods.

"Should have put a leash on him." Xander popped off, looking at the vampire a few yards ahead of us.

"Yes, let's tie ourselves to the crazy vampire." Buffy popped off.

"You really think this is gonna work?"

"It's pretty easy. Spike follows the _exciting_ smell of blood and we follow the fairly _ripe_ smell of Spike." The Slayer explained. "If this is what we're smelling, I don't want to know what Aud is."

"You really don't."

"It's smell-ementary!" Dawn piped up. "Also, I'm sure there's tons of stuff like this." She added as we had to duck under a low hanging tree branch. "You know, procedures that don't need to involve magic spells. Just good, solid detective work. And we can develop a database of tooth impressions, and demon skin samples, and I can wear high heels more often!"

"Oh, that was so close to being empowering." Buffy urged her grinning sister along.

"Everybody loves a slender ankle." Dawn's statement made me confused, but I shook off the questions because I saw that Spike had stopped up ahead.

"That's it. End of the line." He said after Xander accidentally ran into him. "Everyone off." Spike then turned to the human male and grabbed his shoulder. "Keep your ticket, you'll need that." He whispered.

"That's a rock cliff." Buffy made a face.

"Well, give him a break, Buffy. Maybe it's a _vicious_ , skin-eating rock cliff." Xander waved his arms before the vampire looked at him like he was a complete idiot.

"There's a cave in it. Look." Spike moved the branches in front of himself at at the base of the cliff we could see a cave entrance. "I'm insane. What's his excuse?" The bleached blond then dropped his arm and wandered off.

Going to the cave and crawling in through the narrow entrance, Xander raised the crossbow he had.

"Dark and dank. I was hoping it'd be dark and dank."

"Shh." Buffy raised her hand and my ears were twitching as I heard something skittering around. "Do you hear that?"

"No I don- Now I do."

"Something's moving in here." Dawn lifted her sword.

"What are you picking up, Aud?"

"Rot, death, filth, and blood. You know, the wonderful mix for the perfect party. Also something moving much faster than I'd like."

"Look at the shorn lamb, see how it trembles. Is it the cold wind? Or is that the flock is nowhere to be seen?" A voice echoed in the cave. "Poor little lamb, all alone."

"You guys hear that, right?" Dawn asked while taking a few steps forward. Suddenly, there was a screech and a demon came out from the dark and slashed its claws at the brunette girl.

"Dawn!" We ran to her side as the demon went back to the dark. "Are you okay?"

"I guess so.... Poison paralyzes." Dawn's voice became strained as her arms fell to her sides and she had to be caught before falling to the ground.

"Okay, we need to get her out of here! We'll deal with him later. Seal him in." Buffy ordered, and we had to be careful in maneuvering Dawn out of the cave before we put her onto my back outside. Grabbing the back of her knees, I held her in place while Buffy and Xander covered the cave entrance with rocks.

~

"Sofa." Xander pointed as we walked into the house. Going over to the couch, I faced my back to it and let Buffy and Xander ease Dawn onto the couch. ....Well, it would have been nice if that's what they had done, but somehow Dawn ended up with her face in the cushions. "Oh, right, face-up is better." And the girl was flipped over.

"Okay, I'm going to check the computer. Find that page and see if there's an antidote." Buffy pulled off her jacket while going to the tables covered in books.

"It'll be all right. We'll get you fixed up." The man told Dawn while crouching by the sofa. "You'll be doing limbo in no time."

"Yeah, as a pole." Dawn managed to speak through her teeth.

"No, not as a pole. I promise you."

"Oh! Got it. ....It says the paralysis is permanent. No- Oh! Wait! My bad! Um, ' _permanent until the creature dies._ ' Sorry." Buffy cringed. "I guess we have to go back." She sighed while walking back over to the couch.

"We can't just leave her here like this, what if she vomits?" Xander waved his hand and Dawn said something unintelligible.

"Do you think she'll vomit?" The blonde furrowed her brows as her little sister tried to say something else. "I'll call Anya."

"Right, cause she'll love being called for vomit watch."

"Well, we can't leave alone." I sat on the coffee table while looking at Dawn.

~

"I bet she's dying."

"She's not dying, she's just paralyzed." Buffy explained to the vengeance demon while strapping a knife to her calf.

"Oh. Paralyzed how?"

"Paralyzed how? In the not moving way." Xander smarted off.

"There's lots of different ways." Anya looked over her shoulder. "Did you try this?" She went to one end of the couch and lifted up Dawn's legs and they stayed in place.

"Hey!" Buffy and Dawn both said.

"Oh! You're posable."

"Posable?" I smirked as my tail twitched.

"Yeah, watch this." Anya then sat Dawn up. "Knead as you please. Hardly need to undo her."

"Where'd you get these nuts?" Buffy asked while eating.

"Brazil." The demon took her nuts from Buffy as I started playing with Dawn's face. "Oh, Aud, don't do that! Now she looks like a rabid puppy. And no need to thank me for sitting with her. I'm feeling very benevolent today. Helping Willow, helping you. Might even call it even for that whole worm thing last week."

"You saw Willow?" My ears perked as I looked at her.

"Mm-hmm. Oh, she's looking for you guys by the way. Thought you might be out at some cave."

"Anya, listen, this is really important. Did Willow go to that cave?" Buffy questioned.

"Mm-hmm." Anya nodded. "Last time I saw her, that's where she was headed. Should I make her salute?" Anya turned back to the little Summers girl. "I think that'd be very cute."

"We have to get there now, Willow could be trapped with the Gnarl."

"It's not _the_ Gnarl, just _Gnarl_." The brunette corrected while sitting next to Dawn and raised her hand. "Oh, wouldn't it be kinda tragic being silly here with your comically paralyzed sister while Willow was dying?"

"....Anya, you know about this creature?"

"Uh-huh, sure."

"You're comin' with us." Buffy handed Anya an axe. The demoness sighed while taking the axe and pat Dawn's head before walking away. Wrapping my tail around the remote on the table, I dropped it into Dawn's posed hand while passing.

Running to the cave, Buffy and I got there first with Xander and Anya behind us. The blonde swung her axe at the demon just sitting in the middle of the cave and looked around.

"What's going on? Where's Willow?"

"She's right here, can't you see her?" Anya pointed to the ground, but....nothing was there. "She's hurt."

"What? Where?" Xander went over while Buffy and I went back to back, waiting for the demon to come again from any direction. "There's nothing here."

"Your hand is going right through her. What's going on?"

"I don't know." Buffy replied. "I'm starting to see why we haven't seen her."

"Because we haven't _seen_ her." Xander waved his hand.

"I have a feeling whatever is causing this invisible thing is a separate issue from the skin-eating monster." Buffy turned and I spotted the demon. Growling, I kicked up dirt while leaping towards it. My palms landed on it's chest first, and then my paws as I kicked off and sent it flying into the cave wall. Buffy was right behind me, swinging her axe as the Gnarl was quickly getting back up.

The demon was swiping with it's claws and missing as Buffy was dodging, and I ran and slid between its legs as my tail wrapped around its ankle. The Gnarl fell flat on its back before the Slayer grabbed its head and dug her thumbs into the demon's eyes.

"Buffy, that's gross." I cringed

"Ew...." She cringed while trying to fling the goo off of her nails.

"Ew- Thumbs?? I can't believe you did that."

"Ah! Buffy killed the demon." Anya smiled at where Willow was supposed to be. "It was gross."

"Willow? Wil, are you here?" Buffy wiped her thumbs off onto her pants.

"Where is she? She alive?"

"She's right here. Stand back, you're getting your feet in her. She's hurt pretty bad, guys." Anya got to her feet. "I'll go get help."

"I think she's sort of....here-ish." Xander gestured while Anya ran out.

"Willow? Can you hear us?" I asked even if I wouldn't get a reply.

"We can't really see you, but we're really glad you're back." Buffy was getting teary eyed. "I-I-I don't know how badly you're hurt, but-" The Slayer stopped talking as there was a golden orange shimmer and then Willow.

"I couldn't find you guys and I looked everywhere. And the demon said that you left me-" The redhead sniffled.

"Willow!"

"Oh! There you are!" She was crying and her stomach was bleeding. "There you are! Don't go away."

"We're not going away." Xander shook his head while crouching down.

"It's gonna be okay, Wil." Buffy smiled.

"If you weren't human I could heal you." I furrowed my brows. "But even my abilities are limited."

"That's fine, I like being human, though." Willow nodded.

"It'll be okay."

"I know. You're here." The witch smiled.


	75. Whose got the body and whose got the brain

Crawling out of the coffin, I glanced around to check on the others. Buffy was already out and flicking on a flashlight, and Xander was closing the coffin lid that he crawled out of. Stretching out, I groaned from being cramped in that casket for what felt like ages.

"33 minutes." Xander said while looking at his watch. "Since when do we go through all this trouble for one lousy vampire? Excuse me- One lousy _potential_ vampire." He waved a finger.

"Vampire by vampire. It's the only way I know how." Buffy replied.

"....Where's Dawn?" And my question was answered by a knocking from inside of the children's coffin. Quickly getting it opened, Dawn quickly sat up.

"I think this thing has a freakin' child lock on it!"

"Shh!"

"You know, I'm not the shortest one here." The girl looked to her older sister. "I don't know why _I_ had to be in the kid coffin."

"Look, I know it's my job-"

"No, I'm sorry." Xander shifted on his feet. "I wanna help. Guess I've been a little stressed out lately. I'm sorry I took it out on you."

"No big." Buffy shook her head. "Been kind of stressed myself."

"And the whole Willow stitch is not un-stressifying. I mean, she's here, but not 'part of the gang' here. And hopefully not here under my feet in another time dimension." Dawn glanced at the floor.

"There's Willow, there's the looming humungo bad, and-"

"It's a school night." I added. "I should be pacing in my room, panicking about tomorrow."

"You'll be fine." Dawn spoke with certainty. "You'll be a great counselor."

"It's my first week actually talking to the kids, though. What-what if their problems are weird and tricky?" I questioned.

"I think you underestimate your familiarity with the world of _weird_ and _tricky_." Xander glanced at my tail for emphasis. "This job is perfect for you."

"Yeah, spread your wisdom like Giles. In a way, you're kind of following in his footsteps." Buffy waved her hand.

"....I'm not gonna find myself knocked-out a bunch of times, am I? Cause that seems to happen to Pops _a lot_ when he's here."

"You do have faster reflexes then him, so I'd venture at a no." Buffy turned to the open coffin with the dead, elderly woman. "Taking my sister on an educational outing to the-" She sighed.

"Dead body." Dawn finished.

"I don't know. Amateur opinion here, but she looks dead." Xander popped off. "I mean like natural causes dead."

"False sense of security!" I whispered, receiving a look from the man.

"The paper said she had unusual cuts and contusions on her neck." Buffy shone her flashlight onto the corpse.

"Maybe she cut herself shaving and died naturally from embarrassment." Xander smirked before Buffy handed him the flashlight.

"She looks....peaceful." Dawn smiled.

"I am _not_ peacefu-"

"Nope!" I slammed the stake in my hand down as the fur on my tail had fuzzed out from her suddenly opening her eyes and vamping out. I hadn't been expecting it, so it was just a natural reflex to stab, and she turned to dust.

"....I always thought closed caskets were more tasteful." Buffy sighed and closed the coffin.

~

Sharpening a pencil, I stuck it in the little cup full of other pencils and pens and adjusted them to look nice. I was nervously moving stuff around my desk, nudging the post-it notes stack bit more to the right, and tapping my foot onto the floor.

"Hello?"

"Welcome!" I smiled at the tall and lanky girl with long, brown hair. She looked to have a gentle demeanor, and squeezed the strap of her backpack as she stepped into the tiny space sectioned off with cubicle walls. "Have a seat." Gesturing towards the chair, she sat down and was staring at me.

"Mr. Miller sent me here."

"Do you know why?"

"I'm not sure." Her brows furrowed before she rolled her eyes. "Maybe because this guy was picking on me." Taking in a slow breath through my nose, I slid my chair closer to my desk and leaned my crossed arms on it.

"Many people will tell you that others bully out of insecurity, and that's true, but some people pick on others because of other reasons."

"Other reasons?"

"There are people that will lash out at others around them because they feel or think they have no other way to solve their problems. High school is an incredibly stressful time with puberty, hormones, homework, classes, and everything else stacked on top of that, and people are trying to find who they. Some people find these things hard to handle and react like a wounded animal by striking out. But, on the other hand, it's usually insecurities and to establish dominance over those they see as _different_." I made finger quotes.

"....Really?"

"Really." I nodded. "And you need to stick up for yourself if someone is picking on you- you don't have to take that treatment." I glanced at my computer screen to the list of kids that were being sent to me. "Amanda, you need to let them know that you're not going to take this shi- uh....shite." Glancing around, I then leaned towards her and whispered. "Am I allowed to say shite or is that also a no-no word?" The girl chuckled while shaking her head.

"But, that's exactly what I did. I stuck up for myself." Her smile then fell as her expression became more fierce. "The other day after class....I jumped him in the parking lot and I _slammed_ his stupid ass, insecure face right into the pavement."

"....You what?"

"I guess that's another reason Mr. Miller want me to see you." Amanda half cringed. "Do you think I should pound on him some more?" I just looked at her while thinking of a good response.

~

"I don't wanna talk to you." The tall boy in the hooded jacket shook his head while standing in the far corner.

"That's fine. No one's forcing you to." I shrugged, leaning back in my chair as he paced to the filing cabinet and leaned on it.

"I'm serious. I don't wanna talk." I could tell from his heartbeat he was lying, but I wasn't going to push him.

"All right." I replied, and he stood there for a good minute before taking a seat and slouching while keeping his head down. I simply waited- he'd open up eventually. He sat there for a good five minutes, neither of us saying a word.

"....I'm scared." He finally spoke while raising his head. "I don't want to be left alone." The boy looked me in the eye while raising his brows. "My brother joined up with the marines. Hoo, if he knew I was makin' a fool of myself, he'd smack me upside the head." The boy dropped his gaze while scoffing and shaking his head. "Guess I'm just being stupid."

"Sounds like you're brother is kinda tough."

"Yeah, he's, uh, he's a man. I'm just so messed up right now."

"You're not. It's not 'messed up' to worry about your family" I shook my head.

"What if he doesn't come back? What if he gets blown up?"

"Have you talked to him about this? Told him how you feel?"

"No, I don't wanna talk to him." He shook his hand and head. "I don't wanna do that. "I don't wanna talk to him. You understand?"

"I understand," I nodded, then leaned forward while slightly furrowing my brows. "but answer me this. If you don't talk to him, how will he know?"

~

"You know, I hate to miss bio, but I thought it was best to come speak with you." A tall boy smiled while leaning on the back of a chair while standing.

"Then go ahead, what's on your mind?"

"On my mind?"

"Are you worried about school? Friends, girls, your parents-"

"Yeah. Yeah, that's it." He pointed. "My parents."

"All right. What about them?"

"Oh....issues." He waved his hand. "Divorce." He shook his head while making a face.

"Divorce can be terrible." I stated, and his reply made me narrow my eyes a bit.

"Yeah, my parents are happily married." It took him a second to realize what he just admitted. "It's hard. Yeah, I feel left out. B-but I'm also concerned about girls." I gave him a generic smile while locking eyes with him and he began to fidget under my gaze. I said absolutely nothing and he nervously laughed. "O-okay, I'm just bored." ' _And the truth comes out.'_ I thought. "....Maybe I should get back to bio?" He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb and I nodded.

"Have a good day."

"Wait, I gotta ask." He paused by the false wall. "Where is your accent from?"

"Russia. Have a nice day." I waved at him.

~

"So, Josh, what brings you here today?" I asked the boy with glasses and an orange shirt.

"Well, um, I'm worried that I'm....gay."

"First of all, I'd like you to know that there is _nothing_ wrong or shameful with being gay. People can't control who they love." I shrugged.

"Well, I-I know, it's just I'm not _positive_. So, uh, I was thinking that....why don't you go on-on a date with me so I can be sure?" He grinned and I plastered on a smile while grabbing a pencil from the cup on my desk.

"Josh?"

"Yeah?" He was still looking at me, and I snapped the pencil in half. The boy's smile faltered as he seemed to get the message and quickly left.

~

"It sounds rather difficult for you. Like your sister makes it hard for you to establish your own identity. You said she's controlling, she doesn't let you make your own decisions...."

"Yeah, and she borrows my clothes without asking." Dawn raised her eyebrows.

"I understand. That must be hard." I chuckled while leaning back in my chair. "I'll talk to Buffy- in a professional manner- concerning your issues." Dawn then broke out into a huge grin.

"Thanks, Aud. Er, Ms. Giles."

"Okay, don't. That just sounds creepy from you." I shook my head.

~

"I understand you're not doing your homework?"

"I guess not. It all just seems....seems kind of....whatever." This seemingly sweet girl with blond and purple hair softly smiled while shrugging one shoulder.

"I know high school can seem very frustrating- well, I don't know from personal experience since I was taught by the Wa- home. I was home-schooled." I caught and corrected myself. "But those old coots were pretty frustrating on their own, so I can only imagine. But, hey, once you get through you can go to college or join the French Foreign Legion or anything you want."

"Yeah, well," She looked down while smiling. "I'm not gonna do all that stuff."

"No Foreign Legion, got it." I nodded. "I mean, I can understand that with all the stuff involved with-"

"No." She chuckled. "It's just I'm not graduating high school."

"Oh, going for the, uh, GED?"

"I really like that shirt. Where'd you get it?" She deflected and I felt a pin-prick of concern.

"Cassie, please don't change the subject. What did you mean? Why won't you graduate?" Her smiled fell as we looked at each other.

"Because next Friday I'm going to die."

"Chto? I-I mean, what?"

"Can we talk about something else?"

"No, Cassie, we have to talk about this."

"It's....it's fine."

"What could possibly make you feel like this?" I furrowed my brows.

"Feel like what?"

"Feel like you want to....hurt yourself."

"Oh, I'm not gonna commit suicide, if that's what you're saying. No way." She laughed, and her heart rang truth.

"Then....then what _are_ you saying?"

"Look, I don't mean to be a pain. You seem really nice and I know you're just trying to help, but I'm wasting your time."

"No, you're not." I gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm here for this reason, for you guys. Cassie, please, why do you think you're going to die?"

"I don't think it," She shook her head. "I know it. I-I just _know_."

"What do you mean 'you know'? Has someone threatened you?"

"No." She shook her head again. "No, I-I just know that next Friday I'm gonna die. Some things I just know- I don't know how, I just do. ....Like I know there will be coins."

"Coins?"

"Mm-hmm. Lots of coins. Weird ones. I know that you'll go some place dark, underground. I-I don't know." She rubbed her forehead.

"....What do you mean underground?" I asked and I knew that if my tail was out it would be twitching.

"I know you'll try to help. But you can't. Okay?"

"Cassie-"

"I gotta go." She grabbed up her bag. "Trig- I don't want Mr. Corrigan sending me to principal Wood again."

"Cassie, please-" I stood up as she grabbed her sketchbook.

"Thanks for being so nice. I really do like that shirt, you should put a sweater on so it doesn't get stained." She smiled so sweetly. "I gotta go."

"Cassie, wait, please!"

"I gotta go." Her voice was firmer this time.

~

"What am I supposed to do in a situation like this?" I asked Robin as I stood in front of his desk.

"You _did_ what you were supposed to do. You reported the situation immediately."

"And?"

"Listen, Aud, it's hard. Kids this age- they're hurting, they're pissed off, and they say things. Sometimes they say awful things." He shook his head while waving his hand and I chewed the inside of my cheek. "When I was in school, I got into this thing with this guy, right?" Robin began while getting out of his chair and walking to the little coffee machine in his office. "Real bully. I kept telling _everyone_ that he better sleep with one eye open cause I was gonna bust his ass. Well, I got suspended. Talk like that is taken pretty serious where I come from."

"And where's that?"

"Beverly Hills." He said over his shoulder while pouring coffee into a mug. "The point is, I was talking big because I was scared." He turned with two mugs and handed one to me. "I couldn't bust a move in high school let alone someone's ass. Most of the time that's what it is when these students act out." Taking the mug, I raised my brows while mumbling.

"When I was their age, I was flooring men your size and up." I thought he hadn't heard me, but he did and tilted his head.

"....You were on a co-ed wrestling team?"

"Not exactly." I quickly said. "Uh, my dad had me home schooled, but put me through a lot of different fighting schools. I was tiny- he worried." Hopefully the principal would believe the half-truth. "But, back to the matter at hand, sometimes what these kids say is true."

"Whenever there's a threat like this, we do the same dance." Robin returned to his seat. "Inform teachers, search lockers, but we can't-we can't know what's gonna happen and we can't search their brains." The man shook his head. "We just....we just do what we can."

"I can't accept that- I need to fix this. Don't usually get a head's up before somebody dies."

"....What do you mean ' _usually'_?"

"Wha- no. No, no. I-I mean, I'm sure it's not usual to get a chance to stop something like this from happening. Okay, I mean I just have to do something to-" I stepped forward, forgetting how far out his desk was and knocking my knee on it, causing me to spill the hot coffee onto my shirt. "Oh, fuckin' Hell!"

"Are you all right? That's gotta be-"

"I'm fine." I sighed, looking at the brown splotch over my Billy Idol t-shirt. _'....should put on a sweater so you don't get it stained.'_ Cassie's words echoed in my head.

I needed more info and I knew just who to go to to get it. Someone Cassie would be more comfortable talking to.

~

"Good grades, good kid. Then all of a sudden not so good grades, absenteeism. Comments about apathy and depression." Buffy popped off while looking over Willow's shoulder as she was looking at the school files on her laptop.

"So the question is- What changed?"

"Exactly." I nodded while pacing. "I mean, if she had some sort of psychic vision that would explain it." Waving my hand, Willow gave me a look.

"Do you really think this girl is some kind of precog?"

"I'm not sure." I sighed while rubbing my temples. "I mentioned the coffee and shirt, right?"

"Aud, you spilt a cup of coffee. I'm not saying you don't have demonic grace, but it's not the first time." Xander pointed.

"Yeah, maybe- just maybe- you're trying so hard to help that you're seeing paranormal when there's just....normal." Willow added.

"Maybe."

"But maybe not." Buffy tilted her head.

"Want me to check her medical records?"

"The doctor already sent them." I pointed while walking to the table and digging through the files. Holding them up, Xander took it and flipped it open to have a glance.

"Strep throat, ear infections, yeast infections- none of my business- no real info here." Xander quickly put the file back onto the table.

"Have you Googled her yet?" The redhead asked.

"Willow, she's 17."

"It's a search engine." And her fingers flew across the keys. "Look. Okay, let's see what Cassie Newton pulls up. Hey, look! Check this, she's got her own site."

"Day and a half of researching and we finally try looking up her."

"Wow, that's a lot of poems." Buffy said while looking at the screen.

"Poems- always a sign of pretentious inner turmoil."

" _'The sheets above me cool my skin, like dirt on a mad woman's grave. I rise into the moonlight white and watch the mirror stare. The pale fish looks back at me- pale fish will never swim. My skin is milk for no man to drink, my thighs unused, unclenched. This body is not ready yet, but dirt waits for no woman and coins will buy no time.'_ " Willow read out loud even when Dawn came in. " _'I hear the chatter of the bugs. It's they alone who will feast.'_ "

"Okay....death really is on her brain." Xander sighed.

"We all deal with death." The little Summers girl stated.

"This girl isn't just dealin', she's givin' Death a long, sloppy word-kiss. She has a yin for the big dirt nap." Xander shook his head while looking at us.

"I don't know. I mean, a-a lot of teens post a lot of pretty angsty poetry on the web. I mean, I-I even posted a melodramatic love poem or two back in the day." Willow gestured with her hand.

"Love poems?" The tall male smiled.

"I'm over you now, sweetie." The witch popped off.

" _Love poems_." He nodded.

"Look, all I'm saying is that this is normal teen stuff. Ya join chat rooms, you write poetry, you post Doogie Howser fanfic. It's all normal, right?" Buffy slowly looked at Willow because of the last part the redhead had said. "Let's see what other sites there are."

"You guys are way off track." Dawn crossed her arms. "I got a hunch on this one."

"Oh, wait, no, here's something. Oh, no, that's Philip Newton."

"That's her dad." I pointed. "Open it."

"Guys, I'm telling you. I got this case cracked wide open. I told you about Mike Helinberg, right?"

"That's the guy that asked her to the dance?" Buffy asked.

"Right. The one that _keeps_ asking her to the dance." Dawn stated. "I'm thinkin' who likes to be rejected? Nobody. I'm thinkin' some people can't handle the rejection. Heh, I'm thinkin'-"

"Okay, I've got something! Oh.... Drunk and disorderly, disturbing the peace....there are a lot of charges here." Willow read off of Philip's police record.

"Her dad's a drunk?"

"A violent drunk?"

"About to find out." I clenched my jaw while digging through the papers. "His address is right....here."

"I'll drive." Xander stood up all of the way while following me to the front door.

"Guys! I'm telling you, I'm linkin' Mike Helinberg for the perp." Dawn was still going on about that, but I was going to leave her sister and Willow to handle that conspiracy theory. Going to Cassie's father's house, Xander got out with me as I went up to the door and rang the bell.

"....Aud the half-demon would burn down this door." I sighed.

"And Aud the counselor?" Xander questioned.

"Remains patient and abides by human law." I made a face and rang the bell again. This time a man answered the door. He smelt of alcohol- not very recent, however- and seemed to have rather good hygiene otherwise. "Mr. Newton?"

"That's right." He said through the screen door.

"I work at your daughter's school. I need to talk to you." My tone was calm with a worried edge, and he opened the door for us.

"So is she screwing up her grades again?" He asked. "She's not the, uh, _sharpest_ apple in the barrel." ' _....I thought it was sharpest tool in the shed?'_

"She's got some....issues." I gave a small nod. "But it's kind of you we need to talk about."

"What about?"

"We're aware that you've been picked up by the police a few times. We wanted to know if you still drink....a lot." I eyed the bottles of booze on the counter.

"What's that got to do with Cassie?"

"To be blunt, we were worried that you drink too much and hurt Cassie." My voice didn't waver as I looked him in the eye.

"Oh. I see. That's-that's all?" He slightly lifted his arms at his sides. "You just come in here, in the middle of the night, into my home, and start accusing me of beating on my daughter?" His face twisted, and I clasped my hands in front of me.

"There were no accusations, only speculations. We just want to make sure-"

"Well I don't!" He raised his voice. "Wha- Who told you this? Did Cassie's mother put you up to this? Because I pay my support, okay? To the dime. She just....wants to take away the one weekend a month I get to be with my girl." _'One weekend?'_

"....Which is when?"

"What?" The older man looked at me.

"Which weekend is it?"

"I just had her last weekend. Look," He sighed. "I....I may not be the greatest dad in the world, but I 'don't' beat up my daughter."

"So you won't be seeing her this Friday _at all_?"

"Not unless my ex-wife get's a personality transplant."

"Okay." I mumbled, deep in thought as I tried to figure another angle to this.

"'Okay', what? Okay, you'll get out of my house?"

"Yes. We will." I nodded to Xander, and we turned towards the door and left.

"It's not him." Cassie stepped out in the driveway. "He's not the one who does it." She stated. "Thank you for trying, but I probably shouldn't have told you anything. You're making such a big deal out of it, and I just want it all to go away."

"Are you talking about killing yourself?" Xander asked.

"No, of course not." The girl replied.

"Then fight." I stated.

"There's no point. I told you-"

"This doesn't sound like someone who really wants to live." Looking at her, I watched her expression change.

"You think I want this? You think I don't care? Beleive me, I _want_ to be _here_. _Do_ things." Cassie gestured. "I want to graduate from high school, and I want to go to the stupid winter formal." She sniffed as tears welled in her eyes. "I have this friend, it would be fun to go with him. To dance and hear lame music. To wear a silly dress and laugh and stuff. I'd like to go. There's a lot of stuff I'd like to do." She smiled sadly. "I'd like to ice-skate at Rock-a-Feller Center. And I'd love to see my cousins grow up and see how they turn out cause they're really mean and _I_ think they're gonna be fat. I'd love to backpack across the country or, I don't know, fall in love? But I won't. I just never will."

"You will." I stated as if it was a fact written in stone. "Cassie, you _will_ , you just have to tell us what you know. Please, help us!"

"I can't." The blonde shook her head while crying. "I just know it's gonna happen. I don't know why and I don't know how, but 'something' out there is gonna kill me."

~

Rubbing my palms onto my jeans, I looked around in the dark hall before taking a left and walking a few yards before seeing who I was looking for. Standing in front of him, I was a bit perturbed because he wasn't moving or even blinking, looking like a statue just sitting there. Leaning down in front of him, I waved my hand in front of his face and got no reaction.

"Spike....what are you doing?" I let the confusion show plainly on my face.

"Nothing." He mumbled. "If I don't move, if I don't think, I don't listen to the voices and they won't hurt....much."

"I need to ask you something." I crouched in front of him to get to his level.

"Don't."

"Please, there's a girl and she's in danger. She needs your help and time is running out. It's Friday, the day Cassie said she was going to die."

"I can't. I can't hear you."

"Look, there's something evil in the school. Down here maybe." I glanced around, but his gaze remained vacant. "Spike, please, do you know anything?"

"Yes." The blond turned his head away. "There's evil. Down here. Right here. I'm a bad man. William is a bad man. I hurt the girl." Spike hardly spoke above a whisper before punching himself repeatedly.

"William, stop it!" I grabbed his wrist, raising my voice because of the pang in my chest. He finally looked right at me.... "What did you do?"

"I hurt you, Aud, and I will pay. I am paying because I hurt the girl." His voice wavered.

"William, no." Speaking gently, I lowered his fist. "I'm asking about a different girl. Her name is Cassie Newton. _Please_ , do you know _anything_?" The vampire shook his head and I sighed through my nose. Standing up, I turned to walk away, but stopped when Spike spoke up.

"No, don't leave me!" He pleaded. "Stay here, and maybe it'll be quiet." Closing my eyes as my brows furrowed, I clenched my jaw. It was painful to hear him with such a tone in his voice, to see him in such a state, but there was nothing I could do.

"I'm sorry." Turning back around, I gently touched his cheek. "I can't stay, a girl really needs my help." Sometimes he'd react to my touch like my skin scalded him, but this wasn't one of those time as his broken gaze fixed on me. Something inside of me primally screamed to stay and help him any way that I could, but my logic knew how to place my priorities.

Going back upstairs, I hurried down the hall while trying to think. There where no clues, no leads other than Dawn's ravings about the friend and I was incredibly close to checking him out to see if Dawn thought might be true. However, as I was passing the principal and another worker checking lockers, my ear twitched when I heard a bunch of small pieces of metal hit the hard floor. I stopped and looked back, seeing a bunch of coins. ....Hold up.

Furrowing my brows, I crouched in front of Principal Wood as he was picking the coins up and plucked one up to look it over.

"Seems like someone has quite a coin collection, huh?" He said and the symbols on the coin in my hand were vaguely familiar- familiar enough that I knew I had seen them in a book back in Watchers H.Q. Getting to my feet, I looked to see who's locker it was.

~

"You wanted to see me?" A boy with hair parted in the middle sat in a chair in front of my desk.

"You have locker 281?"

"Yeah. Why?" He shifted in his seat while folding his hands in his lap. To answer him, I held up one of the coins from his locker.

"Wanna tell me what this is and what it has to do with a girl named Cassie Newton?" My tone was firm with a sense of urgency as I spoke.

"I don't know. I-It's late, I'm gonna miss my bus."

"I'm aware it's late, that's why I don't have the time to mess around. So you need to talk. _Now_." I had to be mindful to keep from growling.

"Believe me, i-if I knew anything, I'd tell you. I just....don't." Listening to his heart, I could hear the out of rhythm beat telling me that he was lying.

"Do you know why I came here?"

"To creep me out?"

"To help. I know what it's like to feel lost, alone. I just want to help make things better. Make an impact." My tone shifted to a more dangerous one as I stood in front of him. "And I'm going to make an impact with your face if you don't stop wasting my time and help me do my job."

"I.... Please-"

"A girl could die." I accidentally growled a bit.

"I guess I know who you're talking about. She's some weirdo, suicidal, poet girl. These guys I know wanna mess with her. They've got this plan." And he spilled all that he knew right then and there for me. I could already tell he was just being used- not being given all of the information. I knew because I was aware of what the coin was unlike him.

~

I didn't wear disguises often, hardly ever to be honest, but this one had to be the most ridiculous and itchy one ever. I kept the red hood low over my face, following along with these idiots as they circled around the laid out coins and cleaver.

"All present?" The leader asked as they halted.

"All present." The rest echoed before kneeling while the head honcho lit a torch with his candle. _'Really? Fire? In the library?? Inconsiderate little-'_

"Let it begin." The one by the torch pulled off his hood and I saw it was the turd that kept trying to skip class by coming and seeing me. "Mandell, shut up." He addressed the one snickering.

"Sorry dudes, I think this is just so cool! I mean, we're gonna be _rich_."

"Okay, well, keep your shorts on, we have to do the _ritual_ if we wanna score." The boy then turned to another kid while pointing. "Okay, did you take care of all the fire exits?"

"Yeah. Anybody that tries to bust in here is gonna get a _nasty_ surprise. I set up this boobytrap my cousin, Ben, used to always do."

"Then _nobody_ is getting in." The leader went to a bookshelf and pulled out Cassie, blindfolded and tied up with her mouth taped shut. "And _nobody_ is getting out." He pulled her blindfold off.

"Woah....dude."

"This is our sacrifice." He reached over and picked up the cleaver while still holding on to Cassie. "It's nothing personal. It's just that you have this death chick, suicidal vibe going on. I figure if you disappear....everyone would just assume you threw yourself into a river or something. Extinguish." He held his candle to the nearest robe that put out the fire. Everyone else followed his lead, putting out the candles with their fingers.

"Please accept our sacrifice. Please appear before us, O' mighty soldier of the dark. Please appear before us and grant us with infinite riches and we will pay you with our sacrifice." Cassie looked terrified, and I was calculating how to handle this situation. I mean....I couldn't really beat the shit out of a bunch of minors without repercussions. "We kneel before you with the gift of flesh." Fuck it.

"Oh, this is definitely going on your permanent record." I stood up while pulling the red hood off.

"Wai-wait, this is the counselor! What the Hell is she doing here?!"

"I-it was-It was his idea!" One boy already was throwing the leader under the bus.

"Back off." The taller boy warned while holding up the cleaver. "Get back!"

"Boy, you don't even _know_ the forces you're trying to play with here." I gave him a cold look while circling.

"Get back, you stupid bitch."

"Language." I punched him in the face- not hard, he was still just a teenager. And human.

"Oh, you're gonna die!" He came at me with the knife and I just kicked him in the gut, sending him back a few feet.

"I hope you realize how lame and idiotic it is for bored, teenage boys to try and raise up a demon. Sorry it didn't show, I think it's because you forgot the boombox blasting something like Blue Oyster Cult. Seriously, why are you trying to summon some lame demon?" I gave a quizzical look while throwing up my hand.

"....That lame demon?" The boy on the ground with the bloody nose pointed behind me and I rolled my eyes while finally smelling it.

"Bitch tits." I sighed. "Downside of being an enhancer." Being unable to shift because of these stupid teenagers, I snatched up the cleaver from the floor and flung it at the demon. It was hardly effective if at all, and I sighed again. "Nobody will believe them anyways." I let my ears, fangs, and claws grow out- things that if noticed could be passed off as mere over-active imagination.

The large, hideous demon pulled the cleaver from his chest and tossed it to the side like it was nothing. Running at him, I jumped to roundhouse kick the side of his face, making him stumble to the side before he back handed me over a bookcase. Okay. So I'd need more demonic features to show to take this guy on. Doing the bare minimum. I let my eyes change and the markings on my face show as I leapt onto the top of the small bookcase.

"All right, bone-head, time to play." I flexed my claws while baring my teeth and launched myself at the demon. Flipping in the air, I drop kicked him, sending him flying just as I noticed one student going after Cassie. "No!" I growled, going to interfere until the demon had snatched me by my braid and yanked me back.

Suddenly the demon let out a roar of pain and let me go. Spinning on my heel, I turned to see Spike holding the torch.

"Spike?"

"I'm here to help. No hurting the girl." The vampire stated and I took the torch from him.

"I'll handle the big guy, you untie the girl." Swinging the torch in the direction of the demon, I forced him back far enough before using the torch like a flaming staff. He tried to avoid the fire, clearly afraid to be burned, and I used that to my advantage to force an opening and light the bastard up. The demon went up in flames like kindling and turned into a crispy corpse. "....Kinda want marshmallows now." I mumbled.

Looking over to Cassie, I hid my demonic attributes and went to check on her. She was untied and freed, but clearly frightened.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, checking her over for wounds. She had a rope burn on her arm, but it wasn't too bad that she'd need hospital care. "Thank-" My voice trailed off as I looked up, noticing that Spike was already gone.

"You can't be dead!" The leader of the whole charade crawled towards the burnt demon. "Where are my infinite riches?!" With what life it had left, the demon took a chunk out of his shoulder before blowing up.

"Come on, Cassie." I helped her to her feet.

"Help! Help me, please!"

"Sorry, my office hours are from 10 to 4." I popped off, walking past the demon summoning numbskull. Leading the girl out of the library, I gave her a reassuring smile. "It's gonna be okay now. Hope you're not disappointed." And Cassie chuckled as I opened the door. My ear twitched as I heard the familiar sound of a crossbow.

Reacting fast, I snatched the arrow out of the air before it hit the blonde girl.

"See? We can make a difference." I spoke softly, and Cassie brushed some of my bangs behind my ear.

"And you will." ....Why was she crying again?

"Cassie?!" I caught her as she fell, her eyes going wide as if she had been shocked. "Cassie! Cassie!" I panicked, hearing her heart going sporadic and then just stopping. "Oh, my God, Cassie!"

It was too late.

What she had predicted came to pass, but what neither of us knew then was that Cassie's family had a history of heart irregularities. No matter what I would have done....she still would have died.


	76. Ate your blood and I kill my pain

"I love being single." I heard Xander saying as I brought in a box of Willow's stuff. "I'm a strong successful male who's giddy at the thought of all the women I will no doubt be dating in the near future."

"Strong, successful males say ' _giddy_ '?" Buffy smiled.

"I just worry about her, that's all."

"Anya?" Willow asked.

"Yeah, she seems so sad." Xander turned while putting his hands into his pockets, and I set the box onto the edge of the bed before going out to grab another one from the living room. Honestly....I hadn't even heard from Anya in a while.

~

Blowing out some air through my mouth, I strolled down the long, dimly lit hall before turning the corner and finding the vampire huddled between some boxes and a shelf full of books. Crouching in front of him, I tilted my head.

"I brought you something." The vampire seemed to pause at hearing my voice before slowly looking up. "I thought it'd be more substantial than the rats." Sighing, I held up the paper bag I had carried in with me. He laughed, his eyes wandering around as I felt my mouth fall into a flat line. "Spike, you need to get out of here. Look at you, this place is killing you. This is the Hellmouth, there is something bad down here and you don't need to be around it."

"Can't hear you, can't hear you."

"Spike, look at me." I said, but he kept his gaze to the floor. "Look at me." Growling, my tail smacked the stack of boxes, creating a loud thump and startling the bleached blond into looking at me. "You need to get up and leave this basement. Staying here like this isn't good for you."

"....I don't have anywhere else to go." He said softly.

"I'll find you somewhere if I have to." Raising the paper bag again, I gestured with my head to it. "Now, eat." Spike looked a bit confused, but tentatively took the bag and looked inside it. "Don't worry, it's not human. Well, of course it's not human, you can obviously smell that. I got it from the butcher's shop- I can't imagine you like feeding off of rats." Glancing around, I stood up and retracted my tail. "I'll be back."

I went to leave, but he grabbed my pant leg to stop me while sniffling.

"I don't deserve this kindness."

"Don't make me shove it down your throat, William. Eat."

~

Balancing my cup of pens and pencils on my forehead, I boredly spun in my chair. I didn't have to talk to any kids right now, so I had to find something to occupy my time until one came in or was sent in. Setting down the cup, I turned to the computer on the desk and chewed on my cheek.

Sighing, I rolled my shoulders and used Google to look up places Spike could possibly go. I browsed through cheap apartments, roommate adds, rooms in random places for rent, and more. I knew some basic criteria the vampire would need to live somewhere and based my search off of that.

In the back of my head, I mulled over the thought of just sticking the bleach blonde into the basement, but I knew that really wouldn't be the best idea with how many people were already living in the house. His mental state was the main factor I was worried about, and I found myself chewing on a pencil while scribbling some places and their addresses down.

~

"How'd it go with....?" Willow asked as Buffy walked in, referring to Anya since the vengeance demon had killed quite a few people.

"Taken care of." Buffy replied in a low tone. "She's still alive, don't worry. So are the people she...." The Slayer dropped her weapons back into the chest behind the comfy chair.

"That's good." I popped off. "I mean....now you don't have to slay one of your friends."

"Still puts quite a strain on the relationship." Buffy sighed. "What are you doing over there, Aud?"

"Nothing." Quickly gathering up the papers covered in scribbled words, my ears and tail drooped from the looks not only she gave me, but Willow as well. "Okay, don't be mad, but I'm trying to find a place for Spike to go."

"Aud-"

"Look, I know you hate him and all, but you've seen him. Being in that basement is like the worse thing-"

"It's okay, Aud." Buffy raised her hand while calmly walking over. "I understand."

"....You do?"

"Well, you kind of did tell us how you felt about him. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you to see him that way." Willow had a sympathetic look on her face as she crossed her arms.

"Thank you." I sighed with relief. "I just can't let him stay down there all crazy...."

"How about this, I'll even help you." Buffy sat next to me.

"You will?" My ears and tip of my tail perked.

"If it'll make you stress eat a little less, definitely." She raised her eyebrows while looking over the papers as Willow got up to come over as well. "Not to mention it'll get him out of my sister's school."

"True." I nodded, shifting in my seat as Willow sat on my other side. "But I....I don't know what's going on with me. I've seen love in various forms, through media and you guys, but none of it seems similar to what I'm experiencing- not fully, anyways."

"What do you mean?" Willow slightly tilted her head.

"....Seeing him hurt brings me physical pain, like a sharp stab in my chest- it's not just emotional. And it seems that no matter what there's like this.... _pull_." I rubbed my forehead, setting down the pencil in my other hand.

"Pull?" Buffy quirked up a brow.

"Like it's magnetic." Sighing, I leaned onto the edge of the table. "Even before it was like that, but it seems to have intensified since he came back. Not only that, there's like this hole....a void." I felt my face scrunch up as I tried to explain it to them the best I could, and Willow seemed to be thinking rather intensely.

"Aud....what if-what if your kind- the, uh, demon half- were like animals in the mating sense? I-I mean, there's even other demons that do it, but they mate and keep the same mate for a long time before they even...." The redhead trailed off as I looked at her.

"....God I hope not."

"I-it's not a bad thing!" Willow waved her hands. "I mean, it could have been worse."

"Willow, this is _Spike_ we're talking about here. Sure, he's helped out quite a bit but, it's still _Spike_." Buffy made a face.

"I get that, but Buffy, this is also Aud." Willow glanced at me. "We don't know how her demon side is instinctively or culturally. What if- by chance, I'm not saying this is it- but what if Ustrina Augendae mate for life? Like w-wolves or swans?" My head banged against the table as I groaned. "Okay, maybe not, but this does seem a little more intense."

"....Is this why you've been kind of....moody?" Buffy asked me.

"I will admit I've been overly stressed by emotional turmoil that I don't understand."

"Well, Spike's kind of loopy right now, but....do we know how his soul will affect him? I-I mean, _historically_ , Angelus was worse than Spike, but when he was Angel...." The witch didn't finish as she looked at the Slayer, but she had made a valid point. None of us even knew what the bleach blond was like before he even became a vampire, nor were there any historical records of him until he was with Angelus, Drusilla, and Darla.

"Let's not get our hopes up here." Buffy dropped some of the papers she had been looking through. "Not to mention just imagining Spike being nice is rather disturbing."


	77. You are the dark, I'm the vampire

"You're gonna live in the small room over there. I know it looks like a closet, but it's a room now." Xander pointed as we followed him into his apartment. "You do not get to touch my food, I get the first shower in the morning and if I use up all the hot water, that's your tough nookies. And I hate this plan." The male waved his arms before pointing. "Are you keeping up, or do you need some kind of English to constant-pain-in-my-ass translation?" He clapped his hands together while looking at the vampire still standing in his doorway.

"Invitation." Buffy gestured.

"Is there something more emphatic than _hate_? Can I revile the plan?" The human asked and I slid my hands into my jacket pockets while shifting on my feet. "Fine. I invite you in....nimrod."

"I don't want your sodding food anyway." Spike walked in and headed straight towards the room Xander had pointed out.

"I just don't understand when his problems became your problems." Xander lowered his voice while leaning towards me. "More specifically, mine."

"The school basement is making him crazy, we can't just leave him there." Buffy replied.

"Why not? Crazy basement guy is better than stalking Aud guy."

"It's true. You guys aren't- You're not starting up again with the whole-" Dawn looked at me.

"No." I shook my head. "He's totally off his rocker, and things are different now. He has a soul."

"Yeah, uh, what does that mean exactly that Spike is all ' _soul having_ '?"

"I don't know, honestly, but he's been through a lot-" I was cut off by a hand on my arm.

"Aud, I'll go. This clearly can't work." Spike stated while looking at Xander.

"It will. Hey, it already is! You've been out of that basement for about....half an hour and you've already stopped talking to invisible people."

"Bollocks." He shook his head.

"Okay, there was that one episode in the car, but-"

"No! Bollocks to the whole thing." Spike raised his shoulders while putting his hands into his pockets. "I don't need you mollycoddling."

"I'm not coddling." I furrowed my brows while the blond just looked at me. "Just....go to your closet." Popping off, I then walked out of the apartment.

~

"So, what is it?" Dawn asked me during my lunch break as we sat out on the bleachers and the football team was running drills.

"What's what?"

"Last night you said you weren't helping Spike out of pity. What is it?"

"Valid question." I drank from my soda, unable to really answer since I myself wasn't sure.

"Is sitting there drinking soda some kind of a zen non-answer?"

"No." I sighed. "I don't know what I'm feeling. Sometimes I just want to punch him and other times...."

"Do you love him?"

"I do. But there's something else. I'm not sure what it is."

"Look, I'm just trying to understand." Dawn gestured while turning more towards me. "I mean, first you say Spike irritates the Hell out of you, but secretly you two were doing it like bunnies, and then Spike says he'd die for you....but tries to make you go all _dark side_ and against your friends."

"He realized how wrong it was, that's why he left."

"But to get a soul? Like that would make him a better man? Xander had a soul when he stood Anya up at the altar, and now he says he still wants her? I just don't think it's the school basement that's makin' people crazy." Dawn shook her head.

"I should be getting back. You coming with?" I asked while grabbing my lunch box and soda.

"I just don't see why people bother. I-I mean, you put all this energy into chasing and having and brooding and- I just don't understand these relationships where you're all doing the same things."

"I can't argue with you there, I had the same view. Still do, honestly, but some things have changed for me. If you're not coming, then goodbye, rant girl." I smiled while waving as I walked down the bleachers.

~

"Come on, Dawnie. Come out." Buffy leaned on the wall outside of the locked bathroom door and I could hear her little sister crying inside and the sound of scissors. I hate to admit it, but I wondered if she was cutting off her hair like her sister had a while back. "Dawn, sweetheart, it's not that bad."

"How would you even know?" Dawn opened the door, tears in her eyes and hair still intact. "R.J. is never gonna notice me now."

"From what you said, I'I'm sure he already noticed you. I mean. with the falling and the-" Dawn cut off Buffy with a noise and slammed the door shut. "Spirit! Spirit! They say you were spirited, right?!"

"Go away!"

"Dawn!"

"Things are a lot better, I see." Xander came up from around the corner and I huffed while crossing my arms. Dawn was definitely singing a different tune from when we had our chat on the bleachers.

"I don't think tonight's gonna be any good for videos, Xand." Buffy sighed.

"Right, with the wailing and the crying. Still better than a cozy evening with Spike. Shall I order pizza? Don't teens in a snit like pizza?"

"It. Is. Not. A. _Snit_." The door flew open a lot wider this time. "I-I finally met him- the guy of my dreams, okay, and I blew it! RJ hates me now."

"....Dawn, what is that?" Buffy saw an old and torn up uniform on the floor and it was now known why I had heard scissors.

"Just the end of my life." And she stormed off to her room.

"Remember when she used to have a crush on me? I miss the much cuter me crush." Xander popped off while Buffy went to pick up the cheer-leading uniform.

"Is it wrong to say I'm extremely glad I didn't experience this during my pubescent years?" I questioned.

"Aud, all you experienced in your pubescent years was books, movies, weapons, and food." The male gave me a look.

"And gambling." I pointed at Xander.

"Ah, yes, how could I ever forget about the teen gaining hoards of cash from old people." The male waved one of his hands, and Buffy walked past him while carrying the ruined outfit to Dawn's room.

"Come on, Xander, let's get that pizza and a ton of cookies. I get a feeling Dawn's gonna wanna stuff her face with sweets and junk." I grabbed the human's arm and lead him to the stairs. "Whatcha think about ordering a meat lover's?"

~

"It all happened so fast. I mean, one minute he was walking, and next....stumbled and he fell." Dawn sat in the chair in front of the principal's desk while I leaned on a small shelf. My face was firm while my mouth was in a flat line. I didn't say anything, but Dawn had been lying nearly the entire time. It was strange, Dawn never lied like this, not even when she was stealing things.

"Then why would he say you pushed him down the stairs?" Robin questioned.

"I don't know. Maybe he was just embarrassed, hard being clumsy, especially when you're popular and athletic....I'd bet."

"Well, I can admit it wouldn't be the first time I caught Donald in a lie." The principal glanced at me. "Now I'm gonna have to call the coach and tell him the bad news. Not a conversation I'd really wanna have."

"At least you still got R.J. to take over." The little Summers girl grinned and I got an idea as to what had happened and why.

"All right, well I think we have everything we need for now. Sorry you had to be involved in this, Dawn." Robin shook his head.

"That's okay. I'm just....feeling sorry it happened." 'Lie.' I thought as the girl got up. ....Something wasn't right here.

"I'll talk to Buffy in case anything else comes up." I said while leaning off of the shelf. "Go straight to class, okay, Dawn?"

"Okay." She nodded before grabbing her bag and leaving.

"Kids these days." Robin sighed. "....Did I really just say that?"

"You did." I chuckled before returned to my own desk.

~

"You know, Spike definitely seems a little more cogent and less-" Xander then moved his finger between his lips while making a noise and looking at us. I wasn't really for the band playing on stage, their music just wasn't my taste, but there were still plenty of people on the dance floor. "I'm just sayin', once you get back the soul, doesn't that mean you start, like, picking up your own wet towels off the floor?"

"No, but maybe you start to feel really bad about leaving them there." Willow replied.

"At least he's showering now. That's a refreshing and nose saving change." I popped off while glancing to the dance floor. "Hey, that's the guy." I gently tapped Buffy's shoulder with the back of my hand to get her attention.

"Which one?"

"Middle, letterman jacket."

"What guy?" Willow asked.

"The one, who according to Dawn, who is quote, ' _the smartest, funniest, coolest, hottest, and having the thickest boy eyelashes boy in school'_ , unquote." Buffy rolled her eyes.

"He don't seem so tough." Xander stated.

"Check out the fan club." Willow raised her brows and I looked to the young female dancing with R.J. She was dancing fluidly and her moves were focused on the swaying and emphasization of her hips.

"Daddy like."

"What's that shirt made of?" Buffy made a face. "Paint?"

"....Buffy." I set my glass down, recognizing certain features that Willow seemed to as well as her eyes went wide.

"What? I'm so glad Dawnie isn't here to see her 'precious' boyfriend getting all thrusty with some slut-bag, hussie-" The Slayer cut herself off as the dancing girl turned and put her back to the other teen, revealing that the girl was _Dawn_. "....Oh."

"Oh! No! Daddy, no- I wasn't- When I was lookin' at- I wasn't- Oh, God." Xander covered his mouth with his hand while looking like he was having a crisis.

"I'm right there with ya." Willow leaned towards the male at the table.

"I'll be back." Buffy did _not_ look happy as she slid from her seat. Shifting, I quietly took a drink from my soda and looked at Xander and Willow who were also looking at me. Was this even normal for teens?

~

Sitting at my desk, I kept glancing to the principal's office because a certain someone I wanted to talk to was in there. Dawn was acting out and I wanted to know if it was because of her own choices or his encouragement.

"How about if you try doing your own homework for a change, all right? No more getting these young, impressionable women to do it for you. Sound good?" Robin asked R.J. as they were exiting his office.

"Whatever." R.J. shrugged and that irritated me for some reason.

"Oh, sweet, infectious enthusiasm." The principal put a hand over his heart before going back into his office. R.J. went to leave and I got out of my chair.

"Hold it, get over here." I stopped him as he was reaching for the door.

"Oh, man! It's not bad enough that I got that guy riding my back all the time? Now I got to deal with you too?" R.J. gestured to the principal's office before walking over to where I was.

"Truth be told I'm a bit more formidable than Mr. Wood." I tilted my head while crossing my arms. "You may even come to look fondly on his back riding."

"Yeah, come on-"

"Sit." I glanced to the chairs while gesturing with my head.

"Hey, I told him I was sorry about the homework thing." The boy said as he sat down while holding his jacket.

"Mm, no, this isn't about the homework. The girls. What you're doing to them, more specifically- Dawn." I looked at him with a firm expression.

"Hey, I didn't do anything to Dawn. You saw how hot she looked last night. I think that proves that she-"

"Ah! No! No, no, no!" I cringed. "Look, I've seen how guys like you work." I went towards the table he sat next to and waved my hand. "You turn on the charm, get whatever you want no matter who gets in your way, right?"

"Okay, look, it's not like that. I just get along really well with the-" RJ stood and put one of his arms into his jacket before I grabbed his bicep and forced him to sit back down. "....girls."

"Yeah, yeah. _'Oh, look at me! I'm Mr. Quarterback! I crush little girls and all their little feelings. All I have to do is-'_ " I had rolled my eyes, but when I had my attention back on R.J. now that he had his jacket on all of the way, I was caught off guard while looking into his extremely blue eyes. Now that I was really looking, I noticed he was rather....attractive. Broad shoulders, strong jaw, he even had nice cheekbones and lips. "Being the quarterback must be pretty hard, though." My tone softened as he looked at me. "But that doesn't mean you can disregard other people." I shook my head.

"It's not like I've ever hurt anyone." R.J. lifted his hands while shrugging.

"Well, I know that." I sat on the edge of table while waving my hands. "It's just that you're a leader. A captain, okay? And people look up to you. You need to keep that in mind when you...." I trailed off while looking at him more. Was it just me or was this boy really becoming more and more enticing by the second? "Do you like food?"

"What?"

"I mean, they work you pretty hard, don't they? You should have a good meal after running so much." The boy's mouth quirked up into a devilish smirk before he stood up.

"Yeah, guess so." He was looking down at me now.

"You know," I chuckled while fiddling with the ring on my necklace. "I just realized I'm basically the same age as you. I'm not that much older at all, actually. I'm just....like you." I smiled "But with more sexual experience and stuff."

"I think I get what you're saying." R.J.'s eyes seemed to glitter and oh, boy, did that make my heart flutter. The door behind me opening sort of snapped me out of my trance and I stood up while clearing my throat.

"Right. I'm _very_ glad we had this conversation, so I think you should better get back to class."

"Okay. Thanks." His eyes lingered on me as he walked away. Well, at least now I knew all that mate stuff Willow had gone on about didn't apply to my demon side.

~

"Sorry to interrupt." I cut off the teacher talking while pointing to the whiteboard. "We need to see R.J. Brooks down in the guidance office." The teacher looked to the dirty blond in the front row and gestured with his thumb for the student to leave. Leading him out of the room and down the hall, I took him to an art class vacant of any people.

After talking to R.J. yesterday I couldn't get him out of my head. Nearly every thought was of him and he even plagued my dreams.

"There's no one here." He said after glancing around and I shut the door behind me.

"Oh, but there is." I smirked while walking towards him.

"Why is there just a bunch of food on that desk?"

"You'll need to replenish your energy by the time I'm done with you." His eyes widened with shock, but he smirked while looking down at me.

"Woah, you're like a teacher!"

"Not really." I raised my eyebrows while running my hands up over his chest. "I mean, does it bother you?"

"Not so much." RJ shook his head and I purred while pulling him down for a kiss. "Woah, are you _purring_?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Not at all." He chuckled before my lips crashed onto his. Spinning him around, I used my foot to knock his legs out from under him, making him fall onto the table that was behind him. Hopping up, I straddled R.J.'s lap and wasted no time in throwing my shirt off and over my shoulder. "Woah."

"Just you wait." I licked my lips before going back to kissing him. Sliding my tongue over his bottom lip, I couldn't control this urge I felt to have him. In truth, I was forgetting all about Spike with this boy's hands on me.

"Aud, Dawn needs yo- Ah!" I jerked up, seeing Xander in the doorway with his eyes like saucers.

"Xander! Hey!" Looking back to the dirty blond while my hands were on his chest, I grinned. "This is R.J."

"Yeah, uh, it's called knocking."

"I'm sorry, it's just that check-out time was an hour ago. And also, it's a _classroom_ , you chatter head!" Xander raised his voice briefly. "Now, get off the boy and find your shirt, Aud. We're going home."

~

"Dawn, please stop crying." I gently touched the girl's shoulder while sitting on the couch next to her. The others were standing and just watching us from the other side of the coffee table. "Crying isn't going to make his love for me go away, you know."

"Listen, you're under a love spell. That's what this 'has' to be." Xander waved his hands.

"You're right." I nodded before turning back to Dawn. "You're under a spell. Oh, poor, little Dawnie!"

"But we're working it." Willow spoke up. "You'll get better soon."

"Yes. Soon, neither one of you will be in love with this boy." Anya added.

"He's not a _boy_." I corrected.

"What do _you_ know about our love?" Dawn snapped. "It's true and real and this isn't magic, this is my heart."

"Fine."

"We'll be working." Xander pointed over his shoulder before he and Any walked away.

"I know this feels terrible, but it isn't real. Try to hold onto that." Willow had a pleading tone.

"Did you hear that? It isn't real. You're just crazy." I told Dawn.

"It is so real! I love him. You knew how I felt. Like, I finally found something and you betrayed me. R.J. is not some _rebound_ for you because your last boyfriend was a homicidal vampire who's now insane!"

"This is not a rebound! It's not my fault you constructed this elaborate fantasy about you and my lover."

"Your _lover_?" Dawn jumped to her feet. "Your _lover_?!"

"Guys! Guys!" Willow waved her hands.

"Do you really think he'd be interested in a _half-demon_?!"

"His love for me is stronger than anything, I doubt some claws would scare him off." I rolled my eyes.

"Your hair can literally burst into flames!" Dawn gestured to my head.

"Fine, don't believe me? I'll prove it." I went in the direction of the door and Buffy forced me to sit back onto the couch.

"Oh, no you don't."

"You weren't supposed to do this to me. I trusted you." Dawn sniffed before stomping off to her room.

"She's upset now, but she'll understand when she meets the right guy for her." I nodded while looking to the stairs.

~

Hearing loud arguing from the front door, I walked over from the kitchen to see Willow and Anya.

"What's going on?" Dawn questioned while coming down the stairs, apparently hearing the arguing as well.

"Willow thinks she's in love with my boyfriend, R.J.!" Anya gave the witch a look.

"What?! No! You two can't do this!"

"Willow, you're a lesbian." I pointed out and she just gave me a look. "And 'he' isn't."

"This isn't about his physical presence! It's about his heart."

"His physical presence has a _penis_!" Anya tilted her head slightly.

"I can work around it!"

"This isn't fair! How can you all be doing this to me?"

"Okay, okay, everyone calm down, I know what this is." I waved my hands. "You two clearly were affected by the same spell that got Dawn."

"This isn't a spell. He owns my heart."

"There's a simple answer to this. Just think about who loves him the most." Willow looked at each of us. "Clearly, _I_ do since I'm willing to look past the whole orientation thing."

"Well, you're going to have to do better than that. I'd kill for him." Anya smiled.

"You'd kill for a chocolate bar."

"Oh! Yes! Kill for him! I'm a predator- predators kill." I pointed. "Oh, oh! I'll kill the principal."

"That is hard to top." Anya nodded.

"Yeah, well, I have skills. I can prove my love with magic!" Willow grinned.

"Yeah, right. What are you gonna do? Use magic to make him into a girl?" Anya paused at seeing Willow's face and furrowed her brows. "Damn." And we rushed off to do what we were going to before Willow could change R.J. into a girl.

When I reached the school, I prowled around the building to find the window to the principal's office. I knew he'd still be here this late due to paperwork, and my tail swayed with my prey in sight. My hair turned to fire and I was ready to bust through the window and set the man ablaze, but just as I was about to leapt, a bucket of water was dumped onto my head and I viciously growled.

"I'm rather glad you don't use weapons, makes this easier." Spike popped off.

"I'll show you easier when I have my claws dug into your eye sockets!" I snarled, and the vampires expression twisted.

"Bloody Hell, Au- Oh, shit!" He ducked as I pounced and he barely managed to miss my claws. While he was scrambling back, I darted for the office and was nearly there until something grabbed my tail and drug my back. Robin was completely unaware as he was filling out paperwork in his office and I was out here fighting with Spike to kill him.

The vampire kept pulling me around to avoid the daggers on the end of each of my fingers, so I jumped and curled my tail, driving my paws into my gut and knocking him down. _'Third time's the charm.'_ I thought while turning back to that window and managed to take a few steps.

"Oof!" The bleached blond nearly tackling me with how hard and fast he ran at me and threw me onto his shoulder before running. "Spike, put me down!"

"Sorry, can't do that, pet!" I squirmed as he went around a corner and wrapping my tail around his thighs before squeezing and making him fall. He landed with his face in my stomach and I happened to look up and see Xander, Willow, and Buffy there.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked while getting up from the grass.

"Locator spell. Human variety." Willow looked at me. "Almost done."

"Why didn't you go?" Spike huffed while gesturing to Buffy. "She's a bloody animal!"

"I thought that's what you liked about her, Spike." The Slayer quirked up a brow.

"Oh, don't even start that."

"I've got a principal to kill, what's going on?" I questioned as my tail twitched. "Who are we looking for?" And not but a minute later I was being stuffed into the back seat between Buffy and Spike while Xander drove off towards the train tracks where Dawn was.

~

"That, my friends, is the smell of sweet, sweet victory." Xander sighed.

"Also burning cotton-poly bland." Anya popped off.

"And it stinks to high Heaven." I cringed.

"Xander, be honest. You didn't think about putting that jacket on even for just a little bit?" Buffy asked.

"I refuse to answer that on the grounds that it didn't fit."

"This tool who gets the jacket from his brother who got it from their father, and we'll never know where he got it from. This bites." Anya put her hands into her pockets while tilting her head.

"Nah. Welcome to the Hellmouth, where even outerwear isn't safe."

"I can't believe I almost...." Willow shook her head.

"I can't believe _I_ almost...." I sighed. "I was full on about to do it."


	78. Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream

"Yo, Willy! Hit me with some more of those chicken fingers." I looked to the short haired human behind the counter as the tip of my tail curled.

"Sure thing, Aud." He nodded with a smile and went to the fryer. Licking some ketchup from my lip, I grabbed my drink and took a swig. Buffy was out doing a bit of patrolling, Willow was at the library for school, and Dawn was at home probably dining on pizza and binging movies right now. I, on the other hand, was stuffing my face with processed chicken in a demon bar to relax after a hard day at the high school.

"Aud Giles?" My ears perked as I turned to see who had spoken. It was a tall demon, broad and covered in snake-like scales with two curled horns like a ram on top of his head. He wore jeans and a hoodie that was tight over his muscled body and I was wondering if he was picking a fight.

"Who's askin'?" Setting my glass down, I kept my eye on him.

"I've got a delivery." He pulled a rectangular package from the front pocket of his hoodie as his deep, green eyes glanced to it.

"Do I gotta sign for it? Who's it from?"

"No signing, and I can't tell ya." He set it onto the bar next to me and I wiped my hands off onto my jeans to tear it open. My tail swayed as I was curiously ripping off the brown paper covering whatever it was. There was no stamp or return address, only my name and nothing more.

"How'd you even know who I am? Or where I would be?" I questioned as he took a seat next to me.

"There are few that don't know about the demon friends with the Slayer." He lowly growled.

"Half-demon." I corrected. "And my location?"

"I've been looking for you for a while now. It'd only be inevitable I'd run into you eventually."

"....A book?" My brows furrowed. "....Who is this from?" I was more firm this time I asked, seeing that it was some old, leather-bound journal.

"Call it a secret admirer. I honestly can't tell you more."

"Why?"

"Reasons."

"Aren't you a ball of clarity." I popped off as Willy set the fresh chicken fingers in front of my. "Smells like faint magic, an old book, leather, is that tea I also smell?" Narrowing my eyes at him, I tilted my head. "Did you spill tea on my anonymous gift?"

"Just a little bit." He shrugged while I undid the buckle on the front of the journal. The leather creaked as I opened the front cover and my tail froze at what I saw scrawled in ink on the very first page.

_Clan of the Ustrina Augendae_

_Ohith Amenazz_

"....Who are you?" I slowly looked up at the demon now drinking what smelled like whiskey.

"Definitely not who sent that or who wrote it."

"So they're two different people?" He did answer me and only silently drank. I debated whether or not to turn the next page, but my curiosity got the better of me and I flipped the page. There was a sketchy drawing of some islands, an archipelago. The landmasses were covered in plant life and there were even a few volcanoes. I studied the drawing for about a minute before I continued on.

Page after page was filled with drawings or writings, all pertaining to Ustrina Augendae and the life on the islands. It was written like a science expedition journal with pressed leaves as flora samples and patches of fur or feathers or scales or skin for the fauna.

"Even if you torture me, I can't tell you who it's from, so don't even ask again." The demon next to me stated, but I wasn't going to as I got up from my seat. My food had gone cold and I left the bar.

My first instinct was to go home to read it all of the way through, but I got a call and saw that it was Buffy.

"Yeah?" My voice sounded distant.

"I thought you should know that Spike might be feeding again. On people." Buffy was straight to the point, and I tensed.

"What? How?"

"If it's true, I think the chip is malfunctioning or something. Get home as soon as possible so we can talk, okay?"

"Okay." And I didn't even eat my chicken fingers before I rushed out of the bar.


	79. Make him the cutest I've ever seen

Getting home, I nearly had a heart attack with the state of the house. Broken glass from blown in windows scattered the floor along with broken furniture and leaves from outside. There was various other debris, but I was thankful to learn that Dawn herself was fine.

However, to add to the bad news, the big bad that we've been hearing about was finally here and had taken on the form of people that had passed and tried to get into Dawn and Willow's heads. Willow was freaked by how much this thing knew and how real its lies had been, and to top it off it had come directly at Dawn in the form of her mother.

"Talk about a fucked up night." I sighed while sitting at the table in the dining room. "Therapy from a vampire claiming to have been sired by Spike, messages from Tara that are all lies, a visit from...." I trailed off while shaking my head. "Not to mention a strange delivery from a strange demon."

"Strange delivery?" Willow furrowed her brows.

"Strange demon?" Buffy's attention was also caught.

"Some serpent lookin' demon just showed up while I was at Willy's and gave me this. Kept saying he couldn't tell me who it was from, but wasn't aggressive at all either." I dropped the journal onto the table.

"A book?" Buffy picked it up while looking over the cover. "An untitled book?"

"Open it up." I gestured with my head, and she did while Willow was looking over her shoulder.

"Oh...."

"Oh, my."

"I'm certain it's authentic, there's samples from the islands of things I've never even seen. Flowers, patterns, colors, textures. I just glanced through it, but I even saw something with fur, feathers, and scales all on the same animal."

"Are you serious?"

"Extremely."

"And this demon didn't give any clues on where it came from?"

"Only that the sender and the author are two different people." Rubbing my temples, I leaned my elbows onto the table.

"I'm not an expert, but this journal seems really old, Aud. Like.... _really_ old." Willow glanced at me.

"Oh, well this explains your eating habits." Buffy popped off.

"What?"

"Says here that Ustrina Augendae love sweets- some even grow fruits high in sugar or raise these things that make like a sweet sap. It's kinda like honey and bees, but, uh, this is definitely not a bee and that's definitely not honey." Buffy turned the journal towards me to show a drawing of an insectoid with the top half of what looked like a praying mantis and the bottom half similar to a spider. There was a piece of it's exoskeleton, showing that it was an emerald and black spotted color, and the small colored circle showed that the substance they made was a bright red like fresh blood.

"Definitely not."

"Says they were the size of their hands. Ew! Can you imagine that crawling after you?"

"Are you gonna read it all? I-I mean, by yourself or do you want us there with you?" Willow asked.

"....I think I want to read it on my own first. Get some long needed answers for some long standing questions." I sighed. "Then you guys can read it or we can just talk about it, whatever, really."

"That's fine! I mean, this is kind of a personal thing."

~

"Is she dead?" I asked after shoving Spike out of his bed. "Did you kill her?" He looked at me with surprise, but I was not in a good mood after what Buffy had told me she had seen and what she hadn't.

"What?"

"The girl last night!"

"What girl? What are you talking about?" The vampire looked confused now as he reached over and turned on the lamp.

"Buffy saw the beginning, but not the end. Did you turn her? Is she one of your kind now?" I rose my voice while walking around the bed.

"Did you- Is she following me?"

"Answer me. _Where_ is she?" I questioned while watching him stand.

"Who knows? I talked to her is all." Spike raised his hands at his sides.

"Really? Looked like more according to Buffy."

"Well, I certainly didn't offer. Where are you getting this?" He grabbed a shirt hanging over a bar on Xander's weight bench. "You know I can't."

"Of course. The chip." I rolled my eyes while crossing my arms.

" _No_ , not the chip. _Not the chip, damn it!_ You honestly think I'd go to the end of the underworld and back to get my _soul_ and then-" Spike shook his head while sighing. "Aud, I can barely _live_ with what I did. It haunts me. All of it. If you think I would add to the body count now you're crazy." He stuck an arm into his shirt.

"So, what? You just troll for drunk co-ed's cause you're hungry for conversation?"

"Oh-ho-ho, is that what this is?" Spike raised his brows at me while putting his other arm in. "Right."

"What?"

"You're jealous!" He slipped the garment over his head and pulled it down over his bare torso.

"Oh, that's so not-"

"Yeah. You heard me chattin' up another bird, givin' the eye to somebody else. Touched a nerve, didn't it?" The blond took a step towards me while looking me in the eye.

"Don't flatter yourself." I growled.

"It burns, huh? But you can't admit it so you trump up some charge about me being back on the juice." Spike pointed.

"A vampire Buffy killed told her-"

"Told her what? That I go out? Yeah, I talk to people. Women. I talk to them because I can't talk to you. Look at you, already so irritated."

"I am not-"

"The tail would say otherwise, love. I know you, Aud, I'm not an idiot to what every twitch and sway of your tail means." He shifted his weight on his feet. "As daft the notion that Soulful Spike the Killer is, it is _nothing_ compared to the idea that another girl could mean anything to me." There was a squeeze in my chest as he continued. "This chip was done _to_ me." He pointed at his head. "I couldn't help it. My _soul_ I got on my own. For you. So, yeah, I go and pass the time with someone. But that's all it is, is time. Cause, God help me, Aud, I'm still all about you."

"Spike...." I swallowed. "this vampire told Buffy you sired him."

"Doesn't mean-"

"He said you killed him. Dumped him in a parking lot somewhere."

"And you believe him? Vampires-"

"Buffy did follow you last night and according to her you looked like you were on the prowl. Doesn't really sound lonely or casual to me."

"You can't know that." Spike made a face.

"Then tell me! Tell me what happened- You talked to her, and then what?"

"We talked." He shook his head while putting his hands onto his hips. "That's all I remember."

"All you ' _remember_ '?"

"I don't know! I go out to talk to people, I don't know." The vampire turned away and walked towards the other end of the room. "It's boring. It all bleeds together." His brows furrowed.

"Well, if you can't even remember-"

"Not that. The taste of human blood? _That_ I'd remember."

"You were living on the Hellmouth talking to invisible people. Recently. How can you be sure-"

"No! You are wrong! You've got an accusation from a pile of dust and not a _shred_ of proof." Spike pointed.

"Then I'll just find the truth." My tail twitched as I turned on my heel and left, nearly forgetting to return to my fully human-looking state before I stepped out of the apartment.

~

"Okay, guys, find me some evidence that he did this." Buffy walked around the table in the living room where everyone except Xander was doing research in books and online.

"Really? Are you sure that's what you want?" Anya glanced at me.

"I mean proof he didn't." The blonde mumbled.

"It's okay, Buffy. We need to know the truth, and if he did do it, we need to know how and why." My ear twitched.

"Well, _why_ is pretty obvious. Blood _is_ his main food source." Anya popped off.

"But you only think Spike is turning people because that vampire told you so, right?" Dawn asked. "That night, I mean, we were all told things that weren't true."

"Maybe." Willow had this look on her face.

"What? What maybe?"

"Well, just because those weren't the spirits of, you know, our people, just because it's some evil thing doesn't mean what it said can't be true."

"I used to tell the truth all the time when I was evil." Anya stated.

"Can't assume anything. We need hard facts." The Slayer crossed her arms.

"Well, if Spike is biting people again, then shouldn't there be more dead people with neck trauma?" The brunette asked. "Right? We can find that."

"No." Willow shook her head after a few seconds.

"No, we can't find that? But it's easy. The computer's a moron."

"I mean no, there's not really an increase in neck injuries. But...."

"But what?"

"But missing people...." Willow furrowed her brows. "Eight maybe? Oh, ten of them. No bodies, they're just _missing_. Mostly young, lots of girls."

"So it's true." Dawn said lowly. "What that vampire told Buffy turned out to be true."

"Maybe." Buffy mumbled. "Still doesn't prove that it's Spike. Right now, he's the only one who knows for sure."

"Unless he really doesn't remember." I closed the book in front of me and got up to go to the kitchen.

~

Walking briskly past the line of people in front of the club, I went to the guy with the clipboard to ask him a few questions. Spike was missing and the last thing we knew that he did was knock Xander out and leave.

"Hey, sweetheart, if you wanna go in, go ahead." The bouncer smiled at me while opening the door from where he sat.

"Uh, actually, I need some help." I turned towards him and stepped out of the way of the other people. "I'm looking for this guy- bleach blond hair, blue eyes, leather jacket, British accent, kind of sallow-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know the guy." The bouncer nodded. "Billy Idol wannabe?"

"Actually, Billy Idol stole his look from- Nevermind." I shook my head. "Has he been here?"

"This guy your boyfriend or something?"

"No. I-I just need to find him as soon as possible."

"Yeah. Comes in here a lot lately. Every night, leaves with a different girl. Chicks like Billy Idol." The man shrugged.

"....How many girls?"

"This guy, that's not your boyfriend guy, if I were you I'd lose him. He's a real player." He gave me a sympathetic look and I felt my teeth sharpen in my mouth. Simply nodded, I hurried off to look at other places for Spike. About two blocks down, my phone went off and I was quick to answer it without seeing who it was.

"Hello? It's me...."

"Spike?" I furrowed my brows and there was a pause.

"I'm seeing.... I think I'm remembering. ....I think I've done some very bad things."

"Where are you?" I quickly asked while looking around.

"I need....I need to see you. There's a house. 634 Hoffman Terace." His voice was soft and, dare I say, scared.

"I'm on my way."

~

Meeting Spike outside of a rather nice house, he just went on in and I followed after him. When he opened a door to what I assumed was the basement, he flicked on a light.

"Down here." I hesitated at the top of the stairs, unsure if I really wanted to see whatever may be down there. "You won't come down?" Spike looked back from the base of the stairs. "I understand. It's a risky proposition."

"What do you want to show me?" I asked while going down the stairs.

"I've been remembering. The girl....I walked her home....and the one that Buffy saw, and the one before that.... I think I killed her. And I think....I think I killed the lady who lived here." He averted his gaze for a second as he dropped his voice. "I think there might be others."

"Oh, my God."

"I think I buried them here." Spike stepped onto the dirt floor while looking around.

"Spike, why?"

"Well, I don't know, do I? I don't even know _how_. Shouldn't be ab-" He cut himself off while looking over his shoulder.

"What is it?" The vampire was acting as if he was hearing something, but I heard utter silence. "Spike!" The bleached blond turned back to face me, his features more demonic as he bared his fangs. His eyes were completely feral and he suddenly lunged at me. On a reflex I punched and sent him crashing into a shelf, breaking some bottles as the fell to the ground.

Spike snatched up a shard of glass and cut my arm, it wasn't deep but it bled before it started to heal. Blocking the next strike, I punched him again and kicked his feet out from under him. Jumping on the vampire, I straddled his waist while grabbing the front of his jacket.

"William, listen to me! You _don't_ want to do this!" I tried to snap him out of it, but there seemed to be nothing but rage and hunger in his gaze as he gave me a right hook to knock me off. Shaking my head, I grabbed Spike up off of the ground just as hands started busting through the dirt. "Oh, fuck." Throwing the vampire I had towards the stairs, I found myself surrounded by vampires within seconds.

They circled and came multiples at a time, forcing me to use not only my fists and legs to fight, but also my claws and tail. Kicking and punching and wrapping my tail around their necks to swing them around, I tried looking for something to stake them with while trying to avoid getting my ass handed to me.

One picked up a shovel and hit me across the face with it, making me taste blood in my mouth. I ignored it- it'd be healed in a few seconds. Managing to wrestle the shovel from the vampire, another one took their chance to grab my arm. My attention shifted, a mistake that ended up in my other arm grabbed as a third pinned down my tail. Spike got to his feet now, walking towards me with a predator's gait.

"William, listen to me! Stop!" But there was no response whatsoever as he stood right in front of me. He growled lowly like an alligator while sniffing at the side of my neck. My heart was pounding in my chest as he went to the other side and sniffed down to the blood on my arm. Clenching my fists, I was quickly coming up with different plans that would get me out of this situation- the easiest one being to go full demon.

I felt his cold tongue run over my skin and I bared my fangs, ready to burst into flames until he suddenly stopped. Spike leaned back, his face no longer demonic as there was a bit of my blood still on his lip. He seemed confused and there was a storm in his eyes as he looked at me.

"I remember...." Then his face filled with shock as he threw himself back and I took the opening, kicking the vampire holding my tail in the face before jumping up and locking my legs around one of their heads while my tail went around the other one's neck. I twisted, snapping one neck and flinging the other one over me. Now that I was free, I grabbed the shovel and broke it in half over my knee.

I set one on fire with my breath and started staking the others, turning them to dust. Once they were all dead, I looked around to be sure and saw another hand breaking through the earth. Grabbing their wrist, I pulled and saw it was an old lady, probably the one that owned this house.

"Sorry, ma'am!" I then staked her and now it was back to utter silence. Turning, I saw the blond male huddled in a corner between the wall and some dusty furniture. Calmly walking over to him, Spike slowly looked up at me, having clarity back in those blue eyes of his. He took a deep breath, shifting while pulling his jacket off of his chest.

"Do it fast, okay?" He was crying while sitting there. "He said you'd do it."

" _Who_ said?"

"....Me." He furrowed his brows. "It was me. I saw it. He was here the whole time, talkin' and singin'." Spike glanced over to the stairs. "There was this song." He dropped his head into his hands and I crouched in front of him while speaking softly but with an edge.

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know." The vampire's voice wavered. "Please, I don't remember. Don't make me remember. Make it so I forget again!" He shouted towards the stairs at nothing. "I did what you wanted!" My tail twitched as I glanced around.

"....We're not alone." Glancing at the broken handle in my hand, I tossed it away and Spike's gaze went to it.

"Oh, God, no. Please, I _need_ that. I can't cry this soul out of me. It won't come. I've killed and I can feel them. I can feel every one of them."

"William, there's something playing with us. All of us." I told him.

"Why's he- Why is he doing this to me?"

"I don't know."

"Help me. ....Can you help me?" Spike dropped his head and on an impulse I gently touched his cheek and he leaned into my hand.

"I'll help you."

~

"And you believe him?" Anya asked.

"You didn't see him down there. He really didn't know.... He wasn't even in control."

"Oh! An out of control serial killer!" Xander raised a hand. "You're right, that is a great house guest."

"Wait, is he....is he staying here?" Dawn questioned and I glanced at everyone.

"Wherever he goes, I'm not letting him out of my sight."

"Aud, he's been _feeding_." Willow made a face. "On _human_ blood, that's gotta do stuff." The tip of my tail curled as I looked at the vampire with his back to us while wrapped up in a blanket.

"After everything, I think something was actually there. Talking to him, making him do things." I said.

"Something like what was talking to us?"

"Possibly. Whatever it was, it's been messing with Spike big time."

"And you want him around because....?" Xander looked at me.

"There's something evil at work here. If there's a chance we'll ever have to fight it, we need to learn whatever we can about it. This thing has been closer to Spike than any of us."

"And if we want to understand it...." Buffy sighed.

"I'm gonna have to get close to Spike."

"Nah, it's too dangerous." Xander shook his head.

"Whatever this thing is, _'from beneath us_ ', it's bad." I stated. "And only getting worse."

"I don't want you out somewhere alone with him." Buffy crossed her arms while looking from me to Spike. "He can stay here, but with how unpredictable he is, he's not roaming free, do you understand?"

"So it's back to having Spike tied up in a chair, is it?" Xander popped off. "Well, at least it's not _my_ chair."


	80. Give him two lips like roses and clover

Crouched beside the wooden chair Spike sat in, I tightened the knot on the rope holding his forearm down before moving to the other side.

"We'll get to the bottom of this." I sighed. "We just can't take any chances."

"Don't."

"Don't?"

"Make it tighter or the knots will give." He gestured with his head to the rope. "If I get free, someone's gonna die." So I tightened the rope without saying anything else. I didn't really sleep at all that night, I just sat up in bed and read the journal. It was interesting to read about these creatures and things from the islands of my people, and to find out that my demon half came from such a complex yet primitive culture was astounding.

I say primitive because of the lack of advanced technology and....clothes. The most clothing I'd seen drawn on Ustrina in here was a loincloth and a headdress made from skulls, feathers, shells, and even bug parts. There was a hierarchy present here much like wolf packs, the strongest would lead and the weakest were left to perform menial tasks for the clan. Each island had a different clan or two, but all were run the same way with very few differences.

Now, I also say complex because, my God, it was not simplistic at all. There were so many things to these demons and only more as I wasn't even halfway through the journal.

However, as night waned into day, Spike began to show signs of withdraw due to the lack of blood. He hadn't really slept much either and was shaking and clenching his jaw. He looked paler than usual and was clammy as he dug his nails into the arms of the chair.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked him while sitting on the end of my bed.

"I think you should probably go." His voice was strained as he turned away. Hardly a second passed before he was suddenly feral and trying to break free, baring his fangs at me while growling.

~

"Yo, why do I smell-" I cut myself off, seeing the grown man tied to a chair in Dawn's room.

"Hi, Aud." Xander waved.

"Willow found this pipsqueak at the butcher's shop. We're now going to beat information out of him." Anya smiled enthusiastically and I simply blinked.

"Have fun with that." And I walked away while stuffing my sandwich into my mouth.

"Aud, we got the blood." Buffy came up the stairs while holding a paper bag full of plastic bags containing pig's blood. "....How are you hanging in there?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean....with Spike and everything...." She glanced to my bedroom door while handing me the bag.

"I'm okay. I'm not the best, but I'm okay." I said lowly, still able to hear Spike struggling in the chair.

"And the journal?"

"Riveting. I'm learning _a lot._ And the windows?"

"Xander had Dawn helping him out with it until Andrew came in, it's put on hold for now." Buffy nodded.

"I see. Well, I better get some food into that overgrown tic before he tries to bite himself." I sighed, carrying the bag in one hand while holding my sandwich in the other.

"Yell if you need me."

"I will." I bit into the sandwich to free a hand so that I could open the door, and Spike seemed to tug harder at the ropes as I shut the door. Setting the bag onto the nightstand, I grabbed one of the blood bags and walked over to the vampire. He was growling and snapping but I simply held the bag by his face and he just bit into it.

Draining the bag dry, he seemed to calm down. I gave him a minute to shift his face back while watching him.

"Feel better?" I asked, getting a nod in reply. "Good." I sat on the edge of my bed after throwing the bag away.

"I don't remember anything." Spike stated while shaking his head.

"Well, the withdraw was pretty bad."

"No, no, not that. I don't remember....what I did."

"Nothing?"

"Some flashes here and there. Like I'm watching someone else. ....Do it- kill me. I've been losing time for a while now, waking up in strange places." Spike slouched in the chair while talking low.

"When did your chip stop working?" I asked.

"Wasn't aware that it had, you know? Not til now."

"And the losing time?"

"Everything's been wonky for me ever since I got back, ever since...."

"You got your soul." I pursed my lips and he nodded.

"Figured that's what it was like. Been so long since I had one." He raised his brows.

"How did you do it?" I tilted my head as the tip of my tail lazily swished up and down. "How'd you get your soul back?"

"Saw a man about a girl." He scoffed. "I went to seek a legend out. I traveled to the other side of the world and made a deal with a demon."

"Just like that?"

"No, not just like that. There's a price. There were trials. Torture. Pain. Suffering....of sorts."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's all relative, innit?"

"Meaning?" I raised a brow and the man looked at me.

"Meaning I have come to redefine the words pain and suffering since I fell in love with you."

"How can you say that?" My tail twitched.

"Apparently I just slaughtered half of Sunnydale, pet, I'm not really worried about being polite."

"Is this self pity?"

"No, I'm just feeling honest with myself. I never understood it- not til now. You hated yourself, not knowing what or who you were, and you took it out on me. You were lost and I was the scapegoat for all your frustrations." Spike gave me a look and I crossed my arms.

"That's not true."

"Maybe not fully, but it is partly, I can see that now. A soul is not all about moonbeams and penny whistles, love. It's about self-loathing." He scoffed. "I get it. I had to travel around the world, but....I understand you now. I understand the violence inside."

"William the Bloody now understands violence?" I popped off.

"Not the same. As bad as I was, as evil and wretched as I was, I never truly hated myself back then. Not like I do now."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, the inner turmoil over self won't last much longer." I sighed while stretched my arms.

"And why's that?"

"Secret admirer sent me a little gift." Glancing over my shoulder, I wrapped my tail around the journal on my bed and drug it to me. "It's full of maps, diagrams, dissections, everything pertaining to Ustrina Augendae and their island homes." I waved the book now in my hand. "Did you know that if I was full blooded I'd have scruff, two livers, and a smaller, secondary set of lungs to filter out the sulfur dioxide and other harmful gases given off by volcanoes?"

"What?"

"Apparently Ustrina Augendae don't just live close to volcanoes, some actually live _inside_ them. Oh, also, adult males have manes." I flipped open the journal to find the drawing of the Ustrina with fluffy fur around his neck.

"....So you've been lookin' for information on your kind for over 20 years and, what? This just gets dropped into your lap?" Spike made a face.

"Pretty much, I-" Cutting myself off, I heard what sounded like fighting in the next room. "Hold on." Setting the journal back onto the bed, I left the room. Walking over to Dawn's room, I looked in to see Anya about to hit Andrew while he was on the ground and in her hold. "Everything okay?" I asked while looking at the stuff that was knocked over onto the floor and the crooked pictures on the wall.

"Help me!" The scrawny male whined.

"Fine." Anya said firmly while smiling.

"....Okay, then." Nodding, I glanced at Xander who also nodded and I turned on my heel to go back to my room. Reaching for the doorknob, I paused, hearing Spike talking and no one replying. He was saying something before he softly sang a few verses of a song and I opened the door then. "Who were you talking to?"

"What's that?" He looked at me with a nonchalant gaze, now sitting up straight in the chair. His posture was entirely different from before, as was the atmosphere he gave off.

"I heard you through the door. Who were you talking to?"

"Nobody. I was just keeping myself company."

"....Are you okay?" I furrowed my brows.

"Fine. How are you?"

"Spike."

"I'm fine, Aud, really. I'm just....feelin' a bit peckish, I suppose. Do you mind?" Spike glanced to the bags of blood on the nightstand.

"....Not at all." I hesitated, narrowing my gaze on the vampire before going to grab a bag. As soon as I turned my back, I heard growling and wood breaking, turning just in time as he pushed me down and bolting for the far wall. Jumping to my feet, I tried to hurry as the vampire broke through the wall and drug Andrew into the room like it was nothing before sinking his teeth into the screaming human.

Hopping onto Spike's back, I used inertia and leverage to twist him off of Andrew and then kicked him away. Checking the human's neck as not only Anya and Xander burst in, but Buffy as well. The Slayer just took one look around the room before knocking out Spike and demanding to know what the Hell had happened.

"He didn't seem to want anything to do with me." I said while sitting in a chair downstairs. "He just....pushed me aside and charged at the wall."

"Are you hurt?" Willow asked as Anya and Xander came down the stairs after tending to Andrew.

"No." I shook my head.

"How's what's-his-name?" Dawn looked to the two entering the room.

"He's got a good chunk taken out of his neck, but he'll be all right. Had to tie him up again just to keep him from scratching his bandages." Xander shifted in his feet. "What the Hell happened up there?" The male then turned to me.

"I'm not sure. Spike and I were talking and he was fine as, you know, he could be. Then I went to check on you guys and when I came back he was like a completely different person." I gestured.

"Different like _William the Bloody_ type different?" Buffy rose a brow.

"He was talking to someone, but I only heard a little before he started singing."

"Maybe it's another musical." Anya suggested. "....A much crappier one."

"Back in the cellar he mentioned a song then too. He changed there too like-" And I snapped my fingers. "that. Like he became another person."

"A trigger." Xander stated.

"The horse?" Anya looked genuinely confused.

"No, in his head." The male gestured to his own noggin and began to pace. "It's a _trigger_. It's a brainwashing term, it-it's how the military makes sleeper agents. They brainwash operatives and condition them with a certain trigger- like a song- that makes them drastically change at a moment's notice." Xander explained.

"Is this left over from your days in the army?" Willow asked.

"No, this is left over from every army movie I've ever seen. But it makes sense, we've had ghosts or something haunting us, right? Well, what if Spike's ghosts have figured out a way to not only haunt him, but what if they figured how to-how to control him?"

"Spike's been saying that he's been seeing things since I found him in the basement." I mumbled.

"So, he gets his soul back, starts seeing spooky things, and then goes extra-extra crazy." Dawn glanced at us.

"This trigger- How do we holster, safety, uh, I don't know guns- How do we make it stop?" Buffy questioned.

"Well usually the operative completes his task and either blows his head off or, uh....steals a submarine." Xander half smiled while standing next to Anya sitting on the couch arm.

"All right, I need information. Spike's a bomb and we need to know how to diffuse." Buffy got to her feet. "You two, I want to know what did this to him. Spirits, ghosts, demons, check the lot of them." The Slayer looked to Willow and Dawn. "Look for anything that can haunt or-or possibly control like this. I need to know _exactly_ what we're dealing with. You two, try to find a way to get rid of this trigger and the whole crazy that follows. And Aud....keep him from talking or listening to whatever is influencing him."

~

Carrying a bowl of water and a towel down to the basement, my tail swayed behind me as I kept my gaze on the ground. I could smell the blood on Spike with how fresh it still was and quietly walked over to where he was chained to the wall. He was still unconscious even when I set the bowl down by his head and dipped one end of the towel into the water.

Crouching there, my tail kept me perfectly balanced as I wiped Andrew's blood from his face. It was as I was doing this that he came to. Spike looked up at me while still kind of groggy and spoke lowly.

"Did I hurt anybody?"

"You took a good bite out of Andrew." I mumbled.

"Who?"

"I think he said he was Tucker's brother." Using a different end of the towel, I dried his face off.

"Oh."

"He'll be all right."

"....I don't remember."

"It's okay." I picked up the bowl and walked over to the deep sink. "But you busted my wall."

"But I don't know why."

"I think we do." Rinsing out the bowl and the blood off of the towel, I wrung it out. "Something's playing you. Some ghost or demon has figured out how to control you. The guys are researching it right now. Xander has this theory that you're being triggered like a sleeper agent." I explained while hanging the towel to dry on a rack over the dryer.

"Kill me." Spike said after sitting up.

"What?"

"Aud, you have to kill me."

"No. You don't understand, when-"

"Do you have any idea of what I'm capable of?" He asked with a serious look on his face.

"....I saw what you did in the cellar, I know."

"I'm not talking about the cellar. The people in the cellar got off easy. I'm talking about _me_. Aud, you've never met the real _me._ "

"I'm well aware of what you're capable of." I shifted on my feet while looking at him.

"No." The vampire got to his feet as the chains rattled. "Do you know how much you can drink from a girl until she'll die? I do. You see, the trick is to drink just enough to know how to damage them ju~ust enough so that they'll still cry when you...." He clenched his jaw. "Cause it's not worth it if they don't cry." Spike stepped towards me as much as he could, causing the chains to go taut. "Do you wanna know what I've done to girls Dawn's age? This is me, Aud. You've got to kill me before I get out."

"We can keep you locked up. Keep you around until we figure out-"

"Have you ever really asked yourself why you can't do it? Off me. After everything I've done to you, to the people around you. You can't love me after all of that." He thankfully didn't notice the movement of my tail as my ear twitched.

"You think you know me so well, that you have _insight_ now cause you're soul's drenched in blood? You don't know me. You don't even know yourself." I took a step towards him. "Was it you who killed those people in the cellar? Was it you who waited for those girls?"

"There's no one else." The vampire shrugged.

"That's _not_ true. You're not alive because of hate, pain, or pity. You're alive because I saw that you've changed. You're alive because I saw your penance." I looked into his eyes and he suddenly went as far as the chains let him again.

"Window dressing."

"That'd be easier, huh? If it was all an act....but it's not." I stepped even closer to where I was only two feet away from him. "You faced the monster inside of you and you _fought_ back. You risked _everything_ to be a better man."

"Aud-"

"And you _can_ be. You already are. You may be blind to it, but I'm not. I see it, I really do. Why do you think I'm not afraid to touch you anymore? Why I am willing to do this?" I questioned while touching his cheek. "It's because I believe in _you_ , William." His expression changed rather drastically, but then suddenly the power went out and I heard a loud crash as someone broke into the basement. Something hit me across the cheek and I growled while turning back as my hair burst into flames, lighting up the dark basement.

I took the person in the hood by surprise, tackling them as they tried to regain their ground. I could hear screaming and glass breaking upstairs, so I made quick work of the eyeless man by snapping his neck before running upstairs. I had to put out my fire to not risk burning the house down, but I didn't seem to need it while dodging staffs and blades these people wielded.

"Aud! What are you doing up here?!" I spun around to see Buffy and Xander.

"I already took care of the one in the basement, then I heard more up here. Why?"

"Spike!" Buffy replied and I bolted, my hind claws scraping on the wooden flooring. ....He was gone. The body was left on the floor, but Spike was nowhere in sight. I drove my fist into the brick wall just before Buffy and Xander came down the stairs, but upon seeing my with my hand in a hole, they already knew what I saw.

"Aud?" Xander's voice was a bit timid as a growl deep in my chest was vibrating my entire body.

"I'm going to kill whoever did this and I'm gonna do it _slow_." Baring my teeth, I yanked my fist free from the hole in the bricks and my busted knuckles were already healing.

Turns out the one behind the attack was The First.


	81. Then tell him that his lonesome nights are over

"It's a loop." Xander paused his sweeping. "Like the mummy hand. I'm doomed to replace these windows for all eternity. Hey, maybe we should just board these things up until things are less Hellmouth-y." He pointed to the large window in the living room.

"Nothing. And nothing." Anya stated while staking up the books she had read through. "Cliff notes to nothing. Nothing abridged."

"My searches aren't turning up anything either." Willow waved her hand to her laptop. "Are you sure this thing called itself The First?" She asked Buffy.

"Pretty sure. It claimed itself to be the original evil. The one that came before anything else."

"Please, how many times have I heard that lie in my demon days?" Anya popped off. " _'I'm so rotten they don't even have a word for it. I'm bad, baddy-bad, bad bad. Does it make you horny?'_ " She mocked and there was a pause. "Or terrified, whatever."

"When I came up against this thing, it.... I _felt_ it. It was ancient and enormous and it nearly got Angel to kill himself. And, if we don't rescue Spike soon, God only knows what The First will get him to do." Buffy sighed as my tail was whipping back and forth with agitation.

"I wish sleeping ugly would come through, he's been out all night."

"Yeah, he was just starting to squeal when spooky squad attacked. Said The First was held up in the Seal of....Danzar or something." Anya said as Dawn got up from the couch and crossed her arms while walking over to Andrew.

"Maybe he's just faking so he doesn't have to answer any more questions." Dawn suggested and my ears perked when I heard a loud smack. "Or maybe he's in a fugue state."

"Dawn." Buffy stopped her sister from slapping the guy again.

"What?"

"He'll come to when he comes to. Keep reading. To rescue Spike we need to figure out how to fight this thing."

"Hey! Here! The First!" Willow sounded excited. "....Bank of Delaware, sorry."

"Hey, Aud, there wouldn't possibly, miraculously, be anything about The First in that journal of yours, would there?" Buffy sighed.

"No, wrong dimension."

"Shoot." And quiet returned as Xander went back to sweeping and everyone returned to the books or screen they were using to find the needed information. Grabbing another book after combing through the last, I dropped it into my lap while flipping it open.

~

"It's around this corner, I think." Andrew said while leading us through the school basement.

"Better be right this time." Buffy said firmly.

"I told you....I'm not sure."

"Maybe you should _get_ sure." Xander popped off. "I'm sick of all the run around with you- ....Woah." We entered a dirt floored room with a giant, silver seal dug up in the middle of the floor. "Check out the goat-headed badness."

"What's it do?" The Slayer asked and I hardly realized when my tail grew out and started flicking from the blood I smelled in the air.

"I don't know. Something not good." Andrew replied. "It didn't work because there wasn't enough blood. Okay!" He turned to leave and Buffy stopped him.

"There's blood on this." Dawn stated as she was standing next to something built from metal and wood. "Oh, my God. It looks like The First made another sacrifice. Or a music video."

"Seal could have been activated. I guess that's what The First needed Spike for." Buffy said and the next second I had Andrew pinned against the wall with my hands fisted in the front of the shirt while my hair was on fire.

"Aud!"

"It wasn't there before! I had nothing to do with that!" The human male screamed while looking at me with wide eyes as I bared my fangs.

"I swear to all that is unholy, if you do not help us I will _kill_ you." I growled, my claws poking holes into his shirt as my tail whipped behind me. "Try to run and I will hunt you down and sink my teeth into that scrawny little neck of yours. Lie or try to mislead us in any way and you will know the true meaning of Hell on Earth. Do you understand?" The fire on my head flared. "I will make you _wish_ you were in the bowels of Hell being torn apart for the rest of eternity than here with me."

"I understand! I understand!" The smell of fear was coming off of him in torrential waves as he furiously shook his head.

"Uh....Aud?" Xander called my name. "You, um, wanna put the boy down now? Maybe be a little less terrifying while you're at it, please." There was a few seconds where I only glared at Andrew while still holding him to where his feet weren't even on the ground, but I finally dropped him and the fire returned to hair.

"Now that that's over, we need to cover this up." Buffy went over to the wall where some shovels were. "We can't leave it exposed like this." And so we each helped in burying the seal back under the layers of dirt.

~

"Got anything yet?" I asked Dawn while sitting next to her. She was using the laptop to try and find anything on the Seal of Danzalthar while I was checking through the books we had. Willow was at the other end of the table setting up a locator spell with Anya's help.

"Nothing yet. You?" Dawn sighed.

"Zilch." There was a sudden explosion that threw Anya back and Dawn quickly got up from her chair while screeching because Willow's eyes had turned black as red energy was coursing into her. A demonic figure appeared over her, it was gaunt and had large horns before vanishing into Willow.

"Wil!" Buffy shouted before she was shot back.

"You will only make me stronger!" The witch's voice was deep and demented and I scrambled over the table to grab the glowing crystals and fling them across the room, breaking them when they hit the wall. Willow fell to the side as Xander ran to Anya.

"Wil!" Buffy went to the redhead.

"It's still in me, I feel it!"

"No, it's gone. It's gone, you're okay."

"I don't want to hurt anybody, please, Buffy. Don't let it make like that." Willow whimpered.

"I won't. I promise, okay? I promise. We won't use magic to fight this thing until we know what we're dealing with."

"I can't. I-I can't! I'm sorry."

~

"Got everything?" Buffy asked me and I lifted my jacket to show the criss-crossing belts filled with small, sheathed blades.

"You?" I questioned and she held up her axe while having various other weapons strapped to herself.

"Okay, let's g-"

"Buffy." The Slayer was cut off by the man on the other side of the door. "Aud." He smiled.

"Pops!" I launched at him with a hug.

"Nice place, bit of a mess." A girl in pink popped off while walking right into the house.

"This is the Slayer? And your daughter?" The third girl glanced at Buffy and I after the second had silently followed the first.

"Sorry to barge in." Pops said to Buffy while I was still clinging to him. "It seems we have a slight....apocalypse." Going back into the house, Pops filled us all in on who these girls were that had shown up with him.

"They're all Slayers?" Dawn asked while having her arms crossed.

"Potential Slayers." Pops nodded. "Awaiting for one to be called. There were many more like them all over the world, but, um, now there's just a handful and they're all on their way to Sunnydale."

"The other's were murdered." Buffy stated.

"In cold blood....as well as their Watchers. We always feared that this day would come- when there'd be an attack against not only the individual Slayer, but against the whole line." Giles put his hands into his pocket while standing by the fireplace.

"The First. That's what it wants."

"Yes. To erase all the Slayers in training and their Watchers."

"And then Faith, and then me. With all the potentials gone and no way of making another, it's the end." Buffy pursed her lips. "No more Slayer. Never."

"But....we haven't found any information on the first." Willow looked to the older male. "No documentation-"

"Well, that's because it predates any written history." Pops crossed his arms. "And it _rarely_ shows it's true face. Any record I know is in the Council Library."

"What about the Council?" Anya asked. "What do they say about this?"

"Gone."

"What?" I paused.

"Obliterated. They were in session and, uh, there was an explosion." Pops glanced at me as I stood up.

"....Excuse me for a moment." I mumbled before heading upstairs. No one tried to stop me, they knew why I had to leave. The Watchers Council, despite how overbearing and stuffy it was, had been my home for years. The Watchers had been like my annoying family and picky grandparents and if what Pops said was true, that was all gone now.

I needed time to process this information and sort my feelings. I couldn't really grieve, not at a time like this, but I needed to find a way to put the grief to the side until later when I could.

Going to my room, I closed the door behind me and pressed my back to the door while closing my eyes. Sliding down to the floor, I brought my knees up towards my chest and just sat there in silence while my head was buzzing.

~

"Now this place, that you originally saw The First, you say it was a Christmas tree lot?" Pops asked as he, Buffy, and I were walking down the street.

"Under it." Buffy corrected. "There was a hidden cavern that just happened to be under a tree lot. The Bringers were doing some kind of ritual." The blond then looked to Pops. "Giles, this is bad, isn't it? A new kind of bad...."

"Just in time for Christmas."

"I didn't even realize it was already December." I sighed.

"Maybe when we get home we should decorate the rubble." Buffy suggested. "....You think you'll ever show up for a real visit? The kind when the world isn't about to end."

"If we survive this, I promise." Pops smiled.

"Good. We miss you."

"I miss you both, too." Pops dropped a hand onto my head and ruffled my hair a bit. "And what's this I hear of an old journal given to you?"

"Still haven't figured out where it came from, but it seems authentic." I shrugged before going into detail about the journal, even telling snippets of information I had learned from it. Pops raised his brows on the extra organs bit, but was genuinely interested as was Buffy in the whole thing.

"So the rate at which you heal is an evolutionary trait because of how perilous the islands are?" Pops furrowed his brows.

"More or less, yes. The person that wrote the journal wasn't too sure and just made a guess. But in their defense, they weren't adapted to the land like the Ustrina, so everything was much more difficult for them. The author is very scientific and speculative throughout the entire thing so far, and I'm not even sure if the dissection parts were performed on already dead Ustrina or if they killed them to do it if they were even dead at all." I sighed. "Oh, but I also found out that the fire hair bit isn't a natural state, it's like a response. Um, like the frill on the frilled lizard." I pointed while looking around and noticing we were at the lot already. "You said the entrance was above ground, right?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was around here somewhere." Buffy started to look around at the ground.

"Welp, we'll just keep-" Pops took a few steps ahead while looking around.

"Ah!"

"Buffy!"

"Found it." The Slayer called from a hole covered by wood planks that she had broken through.

"Good Lord, are you all right?" Pops looked into the hole.

"Peachy! Except....my knees bend backwards now. Stay up there, I'm just gonna check it out." Buffy dusted herself off while standing.

"But, Buffy-"

"I'm just looking, Aud. I'll be right back." And she ventured further into the dark. Not even a minute had passed before Buffy was running back with a demon hot on her tail.

"Oh, shit!" I leaned as far in as I could into the hole and grabbed the blond when she was in reach and helped get her out as the sun was rising over the horizon. The demon popped out to try and grab her leg, but the rising sun made it coil back and disappear back into the ground.

~

"Sorry about the British invasion." The three girls were wide awake in the kitchen, chatting and eating.

"We've been up for hours."

"4 p.m. London time."

"Are you all right? You look-"

"Oh, yeah. Uh-uh, I'm okay. Just got into a fight is all." Buffy explained as we stepped into the kitchen from the back door. "You want to tell me with what?" She glanced to Pops.

"Yes, but, uh, don't you think we sould discuss this privately?"

"....You mean not in front of the next generation?" The Slayer got a soft smile. "No time to coddle them, Giles. Welcome to the real world, guys." She sat down while taking her coat off and I dug in the freezer for some ice to put on her nasty bruises.

"Well, what you fought was a vampire, but it was....something more than that. It was a Turok Han. As old as neanderthals are to human beings, a Turok Han is to vampires. Primordial, ferociously powerful killing machine. As single minded as animals. They are the vampires that vampires fear. An ancient and _entirely_ different race, and until this morning I thought they were only myth." Pops explained as I handed Buffy the ice in a rag.

"So The First shows up, and now shis." The blonde sighed. "You think it's a coincidence?"

"I think it's more than likely that the Turok Han is here as an agent to The First."

"Wonderful." I popped off.

"Um....did you slay it?" One of the girls asked.

"No. It's still out there. Somewhere."

"What's it want?"

"All of us dead." Buffy exhaled. "But, for now, it seems that sunlight is keeping this uber-vamp away."

"Well, then, until sunset, I suggest you go and get some rest." Pops told Buffy. "Rest can do a world of difference."

"No sleep today. Can't."

"Oh, come on, you're exhausted."

"Ah, come's with the gig. Somehow I don't think fighting prehistoric evil comes with nap time. Sorry, potential guys, I know you came a long way and you want to get into it, but the best thing you can do right now is sit tight. Wait it out."

~

"This day is almost over." Pops said while checking his watch. "The sun will go down in....17 minutes." Dawn and Willow were grabbing up weapons while Xander was still working on boarding up the window. The potential Slayers were seated on the couch, and I was stretching out to avoid sudden cramping during a fight. After a valid point about the potential Slayers was brought up, they were armed as well.

"I just got a bad feeling about this." Andrew piped up from the chair he was still tied to.

"Of course you have a bad feeling about this thing, dude. You're tied to a chair." Xander waved his hand.

"No, but yeah, but above and beyond that. I'm telling you, my spider-sense is tingling. This is gonna get hairy, more so than Aud's tail. I'm talkin' weird with the beird. Better untie me." Andrew nodded while nervously smiling.

"And that'll help us how?" Buffy raised her eyebrows at him.

"Okay." He sighed. "I know what you're thinking, Andrew- bad guy. You think I'm a super villain like Doctor Doom or Apocalypse or-or the Riddler, but I admit I went over to the dark side. But just to pick up a few things! And now I-I'm back! I've learned. I'm good again."

"After hearing that, all I can think of is Gachnar." I popped off and Pops snorted.

"Gachnar? Who's-who's Gachnar?" Andrew looked at me with confusion.

"A fear demon." Xander replied.

"Oh....cool." Andrew smiled before Xander continued with a grin.

"About a few inches tall and Buffy killed him by stepping on him like a bug."

"O-oh...."

~

"Guys! Annabelle split!"

"What?"

"She's gone! She just left, didn't even take any of her stuff."

"Aud-"

"On it." I got up from where I was seated and grabbed Annabelle's jacket from the rack and held it close to my face to get her scent. "Got it." I dropped the jacket and went to the door with Buffy right behind me. Running down the streets while following the girl's scent, it seemed she was headed away from town.

When I finally found her after rounding a giant, blue shipping container, I felt my shoulder slump. I had found her, sure, but she was broken and bloody on the ground, her neck twisted at the wrong angle.

"Oh, God." Buffy mumbled as she came up behind me.

"What do we-" And I was cut off as something grabbed me and threw me through the air like a ragdoll. Landing, I hit my head first and everything went black....

~

Coming to, I groaned as I pushed myself up off of the ground and my vision was hazy. Blinking rapidly, I tried to clear my sight, but it took a few seconds before things came into focus. I had been laying in a pool of blood- my blood. The side of my head was soaked and I could only assume hitting the pavement had busted my skull from how much blood there was.

However, I didn't know the extent of the damage I had received as it was mostly healed now. I didn't know how long I had been out, and Buffy was no where in sight. Hell, I wasn't even where I last remembered being. Forcing myself to my feet, I swayed and nearly fell as the world pitched, but I managed to catch myself. Taking a few shaky steps, I could safely assume I had yet to replenish the lost blood in my system.

I was rather out of it as I forced one foot in front of the other to head home. That was all I could really think about right now- getting home. Home was safe. I had to rest a few times on the way back, but when I finally made it to that front door I just slammed my open palm onto it rather than knock.

My mouth felt a bit dry and I licked my lips as the door opened.

"Aud, oh my God!" Xander grabbed my shoulders as I swayed. "Giles! Willow! Need some help here!"

"Food...." I waved my hand. "I need....food."

"Holy-!" Willow saw me and ran to the living room.

"Xander, take her to the kitchen." Pops grabbed one of my arms while Xander had my other side.

"What? She needs medical-"

"Xander, now! She self heals but she can't do that without energy. Aud has healed as much as she can on her own already, she's used up all the energy she had and she needs more."

"Kitchen, got it." And they started moving me towards the house. Not but a few seconds later I was gorging myself on pastries and lunch meat and whatever they put in front of me. I felt the rest of my head heal before things started to become more clear.

"I got the first-aid!" Willow came skidding to a halt into the kitchen.

"It's okay, Wil. Apparently _this_ is Aud's first-aid." Xander gestured to the piles of food in front of me as I downed an entire bottle of water. I felt Pops gently pushing the bloodstained hair out of the way, sighing when he saw the wound already closed and not even visible.

"Buffy?" I asked before shoving a Twinkie into my mouth.

"Upstairs." Willow set the box with the red cross onto the corner of the island. "We-we found her....pretty beat up and out of it."

"We couldn't find you and assumed you were fighting the uber-vamp. Couldn't really ask Buffy since she was unconscious." Xander added and I looked at him.

"She's awake now, but taking a minute to herself." Willow waved her hand.


	82. Sandman, I'm so alone

It was rather late at night but I was hungry and making some PB&J's in the kitchen. Buffy was out, fetching another potential Slayer from the bus stop. The newbie would put us at housing 6 of the young Slayers and more were still on the way. Willow shared a room with one while the other four slept downstairs in the living room, and there was no telling where the new girl would be placed to bed down at.

The basement had been also changed into a sort of training area for the girls over the past few days, and the Turok Han had yet to show itself since the night I got my head busted open and Buffy got her ass handed to her.

Hearing the front door open, I picked up my finished sandwiches and went to see the newbie. My tail slowly swayed as I rounded the corner, seeing their backs to me as they were looking into the living room.

"Everybody, this is Rona." The Slayer gestured to the girl next to her in baggy overalls. Everyone greeted her, so I swallowed what was in my mouth and did so as well.

"Hi, Rona." My voice made her spin on her heel and her gaze went from my white hair down to my tail and stuck there.

"....She got a tail. Why does she got a tail?!"

"That's Aud, she's our resident half-demon." Buffy nodded.

"Half-demon? As in half-"

"Yes. But don't worry, Aud's safe as a kitten." The blonde smiled while waving her hand

"Yeah! If that kitten was a fire-breathing chimera!" I heard Andrew shout from his chair in the corner of the living room.

"Um....why is that guy tied to a chair?"

"The better question is why isn't he gagged?" Xander popped off while looking rather tired and I plopped down next to him. Anya and Pops walked in then, the ex-demon was carrying a sleeping bag while Pops had his hands in his pockets.

"Molly, why don't you show our new house-guest where the kitchen is? I'm sure she's hungry after her travel." Giles said before the girl in the comfy chair hopped to her feet.

"Fair enough. I was feelin' a bit peckish myself." She smiled.

"A bit what?" Rona sounded extremely confused.

"That's English for hungry." Anya explained.

"Oh. Here I thought ' _hungry_ ' was English for hungry." Rona followed Molly to the kitchen while Anya unrolled the sleeping bag she had.

"Everything all right?" Pops asked.

"She had a welcoming comity." Buffy answered.

"So, The First knows potential Slayers are makin' their way here." Xander shifted where he sat.

"Of course, we'll all have to be cautious."

"The First is always gonna be one step ahead of us, Giles. I need to know how to stop it. No....not stop it. Hurt it. I want to _hurt_ it real bad. Tell me how." Buffy looked to the older male.

"I, uh," Pops sighed. "I don't know, Buffy." He shook his head while taking off his glasses. "But I've exhausted all the resources that I have left with little result. The Watchers records are still all we really have left to go on."

"I made the rounds myself. Tried to dig up anything useful in the demon community." Anya glanced around.

"They're a community now? What's next, a ladies auxiliary?" Xander popped off.

"The ones that didn't attack me didn't know anything or didn't talk- either way, I got squat."

"Well, squat's not gonna cut it." Buffy said. "What about the Turok Han?"

"The vampire term for God?"

"Time may have forgotten him, but I sure as Hell won't." The Slayer sighed. "We know that stakes won't kill it, but anything in those ancient myths about what does? Sunlight, fire, germs?" Pops shook his head to answer.

"So, Giles, with that thing guarding the entrance to The First's crib, how _will_ Buffy get to Spike?" Andrew piped up from the corner.

"....I really hate to admit this, but he's not wrong. There's no way I'll be able to help Spike unless that thing is out of the way." Buffy shook her head.

"If fire takes the Turok Han down, I can just turn it to a pile of vamp ash and problem solved." I brought my legs up onto the couch and sat criss-cross.

"Spike? Sorry, I'm confused. He's that vampire that's been killing people, right? He's the one you're worried about helpin'?" The girl in the middle questioned with furrowed brows.

"Well, we need him to.... He's the one that's been...." Buffy was trying to find a reason. "It's complicated, Chloe."

"I'm Chloe." The girl in the brown shirt raised her finger. "She's Eve."

"It-it's just, we've been talkin' and....do we have some kind of plan? You know, any kind of plan to....keep us from dying?" Eve asked.

"We're workin' on it." Buffy gave a strained smile.

"There _is_ one avenue we haven't tried yet." Pops put his glasses back on.

"Giles!" Anya stood up while looking at him.

"Beljoxa's Eye."

"And exactly what part of town is _that_ avenue in?"

"I told you no!" Anya made a face.

"What is Botox's Eye?" Buffy looked confused while glancing between Anya and Pops.

"Beljox's Eye." He corrected. "It's a-an oracle-type creature that exists in a dark dimension."

"Eternal vortex, more like." The ex-demon clarified.

"Fun."

"Not really, no."

"The point is, only demons can open the gate."

"Excuse me," Anya looked right at the man standing beside her while pointing to herself. "ex-demon."

"You still have friends in the fold."

"Why not have Aud do it?"

"I'm incapable of doing it." I answered. "The Watchers Council had me try a few times."

"Anyways, there's no reason to think this Beljox's Eye will have any of the answers we're looking for."

"I'll take anything I can get." Buffy stated. "Anya please, we're running out of time."

"Spike's running out of time." I mumbled and the girls on the floor glanced at me.

~

Andrew was set loose with the threat that Buffy was going to sick me on him, and the horrible smelling human was finally showering after days of sitting tied to the chair with only bathroom breaks. The girls went down to the basement to train when Buffy and Xander went to pick up another new potential, and I was busy polishing blades in the living room.

It was when I was working on an axe that my cell went off and I answered it to find it was Buffy.

"Hey, Buffy, what's up?"

"Get Eve away from the girls, now!" Her voice was urgent and I set down the axe while standing.

"What? Why?"

"Because we _found_ Eve and she's _dead_."

"For fuck's sake!" I hung up the phone and bolted for the basement, taking the stairs two at a time before I slid to a halt at the bottom and bared my teeth at Eve. "Get away from them!"

"Who? Get away from who?" One girl asked while messing with the tape on her hands.

"What's the problem, officer?" The First asked.

"I said get away from them! Now!" I snarled, a low growl building deep in my chest.

"A-Aud, I think you-you should calm down!" The redheaded girl gulped.

"What did Eve do?" Another asked just as Buffy and Xander came running down the stairs.

"That's not Eve." My tail whipped as the girl in the center of the circle smiled and stood.

"Eve's dead." Buffy stated.

"Oops. One more down. Oh well, can't save 'em all, can you, Buffy?" The First then turned towards the potential Slayers as they got to their feet. "Thanks for the slumber party, girls. It's been real fun these past couple of nights- I learned a _whole_ lot-"

"Get out!" I growled.

"Or you'll do what?" The First turned around again. "I'll be sendin' y'all a guest later on tonight. After the sun goes down, of course. Try and make 'em feel welcome before he rips y'all to pieces. ....Bye." And the image of Eve was gone in a split second.

"I need to go wash up again." Andrew said from the stairs before running back up.

~

"We should run."

"And go _where_?"

"Annabelle ran and look where it got her." Dawn popped off.

"Safer in than out." Buffy stated.

"How can you say that? It was _here_ , Buffy. In the house, living with us for days."

"And you didn't even know it."

"Well, none of us knew it." Xander piped up.

"It could still be here. It could be any one of us."

"No. The First can only take the form of dead people." Willow shook her head.

"Yeah, well, there'll be plenty more of those soon enough. We're droppin' like flies here." Rona said and the entire table of girls erupted into noise and arguing.

"Okay, look, I know you're all scared." Buffy raised her voice. "You know what, I am too. But Anya and Giles will be back soon and hopefully they'll have the information that we'll need to stop the first. In the meantime, we _need_ to stick together. Okay? We're stronger that way. We can't afford to fall apart now." Buffy explained.

"She's right. We're the Justice League if they hadn't put their differences aside to stop the imperilment of the shape-shifting horde." Andrew crossed his arms.

"Don't help me." Buffy gave the human a look.

"Buff, sun goes down and uber-vamp is on its way, so plan B would be good right about now."

"....Willow, I'm sorry to ask-"

"I know." The witch nodded. "You need a barrier."

"A major one. Something tells me this vampire doesn't need an invite to get into the house." Buffy slowly shook her head. "Can you do it?"

"I'll try." Willow nodded.

" _Try?_ "

"You heard her." Kennedy snapped.

"Buffy, you sure about Willow doing the Hocus Pocus again? I mean, last time she-"

"Xander, we don't have a lot of choices."

"And what if that doesn't work?" One girl asked. "What if that monster gets through?"

"Then we'll deal."

"Deal? Fight, you mean? How are we supposed to do that?" Rona raised her hand.

"And with what?"

"With whatever it takes!" The girl next to Willow said. "Right?"

"Buffy, you fought the Turok Han and it almost killed you."

"And you're the real Slayer."

"What chance do _we_ have?"

"Honestly, you staked that thing and it didn't die."

"No, but that doesn't-" Dawn went to defend her sister.

"Maybe it can't be killed."

"That mean we shouldn't try?" The girls went on amongst themselves before my ears perked and I could have sworn I heard Willow's voice directly in my head.

_'Kitchen.'_ She said as Buffy and her went to the kitchen with Xander right behind them.

_'I need to slay that neander-vamp so we can get to Spike, but I need those girls to see me do it.'_ Buffy stated.

_'I get it, but this isn't the best venue for a smack-down.'_

_'I got just the place.'_ Xander put his hands into his pockets.

_'Good. And, Aud,'_ Buffy glanced at me. _'these girls are going to need to see your demonic form. They need to see you working with me while you're at it, too- I can't keep having these girls not trusting you.'_

 _'So, you've noticed the looks, too?'_ I mentally sighed.

_'I think everyone has.'_ Xander tilted his head. _'Sometimes we can **feel** it.'_

~

As the sun neared the horizon, the girls loaded up with weapons while Dawn kept watch through the crack in the boards on the living room window. Bringers had begun to circle the house, staying at the edge of the lawn.

"There's more of them now." Dawn stated.

"And there's more out back." Xander sighed as he came in.

"Why aren't they doing anything?" Molly asked as I was sliding off my comfy socks. "Attacking?"

"They don't want in." Buffy stated.

"They're here to make sure we don't get out." I added.

"Rona." Buffy held a sword out to the girl while Molly and Chloe where looking at me strangely.

"What are you doing?" Molly asked me. "Aren't you gonna need your shoes?"

"Aud gets paws." Dawn answered for me. "Just her feet, though, she keeps her hands."

"Seriously?" Chloe furrowed her brows.

"Tail, claws, fangs, paws, markings, eyes, and from time to time my hair is on fire." I explained.

"....Fire?"

"Something's happening." Dawn said as she was looking back out of the window.

"Oh, my God...."

"Here it comes." Buffy sighed through her nose as the Turok Han stepped into the yard. Everyone gathered in the center of the living room, turning towards the front door as something was banging against it. Willow began to chant to put up the barrier, but it didn't go up until the Turok Han busted through the door and lunged our way.

"It's working!"

"For the moment."

"Wil?"

"It....It's strong." The redhead seemed to be struggling as her eyes were black.

"It's hurting her!"

"Hang on, Willow!"

"I don't know!"

"She can't hold it!"

"What are we doing? What do we do?"

"....Run." Buffy answered. "Everybody run." Everyone went for the back door, funneling out as Bringers poured into the yard and attacked. I pounced on one going for one of the girls and took him to the ground before quickly snapping his neck.

"Keep moving!" I called while getting to my feet as others were fighting, too. Running as a group, we didn't even slow down until we were a good distance away and in the middle of a street.

"Okay, no Bringer is following us. I wish I could say the same for old snaggle-tooth." Xander popped off.

"Where is the Turok Han?" Willow asked.

"Right behind us. time to split up." Buffy turned to the girls.

"Split up?! We're splittin' up? Is that wise?"

"Willow, take everyone and find a safe location." The Slayer said.

"I know a place." Xander shifted on his feet.

"You're not going anywhere alone." I told Buffy.

"Okay.... Aud, you're with me."

"Wait, what are you gonna do?" Dawn questioned.

"Gonna try to slow the Turok down. Lead him away from you guys and get him to chase me- er, us." Buffy then took the holy water from Andrew.

"Hey, I need that!"

"Willow, Xander, take everyone to a safe location. Get them out of here. Aud, get your game face one." I did as I was told and within seconds my hair was fire and my tail was swaying behind me. The girls all stopped, staring at me with wide eyes. "Now!" Buffy shouted to get them going. They ran off as the Turok Han stepped out onto the street.

"So, distract and lead?" I asked.

"Distract and lead." She nodded.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" I raised a brow at her and she held out her hand.

"I think I do." Clapping my hand into her's, we ran at the vampire before drop kicking him in the chest. With our combined power and weight, he stumbled back a few steps. _'Huh....I thought that'd be more effective....'_ I thought while quickly getting up. Buffy tossed up the holy water and I spun to kick it right into the Turok Han's face. He realed back in pain as his skin burned, and we ran in the opposite direction the girls had gone. However....he didn't follow us.

~

"Looks good, doesn't it?" Buffy called down to the Turok Han as we were in the shell of the future public library. Walls of brick and concrete nearly surrounded every side, and the spotlights were on as the girls climbed up the scaffolding. "They're trapped in here. Terrified. Meat for the beast and there's nothing they can do but wait." Buffy flipped off of where she stood to be level with the demon. "That's all they've been doing for days. Waiting to be picked off, having nightmares about monsters that can't be killed. But I don't believe that. I _always_ find a way. I'm the thing _monsters_ have nightmares about, and right now....you and me are gonna show 'em why."

"Welcome to the Thunderdome." I called out, my voice echoing as I built a wall of fire to block the exit and keep the Turok Han inside. The flames roared over the planks of wood Xander had already set out just for this. The fight then commenced between Slayer and demon as the rest of us watched on. Buffy was getting her ass kicked, but the fight wasn't a one way as she got hits no the Turok Han.

Buffy tried using her environment to her advantage, but the fight eventually lead the two up a short scaffold. At one point, the Turok Han had Buffy by the throat and looked like it was claiming victory until the Slayer turned the tables by breaking off the arrow sticking out of the vampires chest and stabbing it into his eye. She threw punch after punch now that she had an opening, forcing the demon back until she kicked him off of the edge of the scaffold.

She jumped down to fight on, exchanging hits with the Turok Han before grabbing up some barbed wire and choking the vampire with it. Buffy kept tightening it to the point that it cut right through the Turok Han's thick neck and....he turned to dust.

"See?" Buffy dusted her hands off. "Dust. Just like the rest of them." She then walked out towards the girls. "I don't know what's coming next....but I do know that it's gonna be just like this. Hard. Painful. And in the end it's gonna be us. If we all do our parts, believe it. We'll be the ones left standing." She glanced to me as I stood next to her and bit my palm. Wiping my blood across the gash on her cheek, it started to close as she addressed the girls again. "We're 'all' on the same team. Act like it- Aud is not our enemy, The First is. ....Here endeth the lesson."

Looking up to the potential Slayers, I saw that some of them had looks of awe as they watched Buffy's wound heal. Maybe now they'd sleep better at night not thinking I was going to kill them while they slept.

~

"You can't hurt me. You....You're just a bloody figment, you are. You're just...." The man trailed off as I stepped closer to him. I felt such an extreme of rage and sorrow that I wanted to just burn everything, but I had to keep my focus to do what I came to do. Silently, I used my claws to cut one of the ropes holding up the beaten and bruised blond. When I reached for the other, his free hand touched my shoulder, his grasp firm as if he were checking reality. "You...." He cracked a minuscule smile, crying as my own eyes brimmed with tears.

"Let's get you out of here, William." I mumbled, putting one of his arms over my shoulders to help him walk. Getting him back to the house took a while, but we eventually got there and inside was rather quiet. Going up the stairs one at a time, I took him to the bathroom and sat him on the toilet before digging through the drawers for a towel.

Finding one, I turned on the faucet and soaked the rag.

"I'm gonna have to clean you up a bit to see what's not healed and what's just dried blood." I sighed as I wrung the small towel out and turned to the vampire.

"I'm just glad to be out of there." Spike sighed as I crouched in front of him. I started with his chest where the symbols were cut into his skin. Quiet returned save for the occasional grunts he made from the pain, and when the rag was stained red I rinsed it off.

"Don't make this weird." I said before biting my palm.

"You don't-"

"I know." My voice was low as I put my bleeding hand onto his swollen, black eye. "But I'm gonna do it anyways." I was gentle in healing his wounds to not cause him any more pain, and after a bit he was back to looking normal except for the smears of blood on him. Chewing the inside of my cheek, I then cut my thumb with my tooth and went to heal his busted lip, but he grabbed my wrist while looking at me.

"I think you've done plenty, love. I can heal on my own too, ya know?"

"Right." I cleared my throat, but neither of us moved a muscle as we looked at each other. "....I was scared." Spike's brows furrowed a fraction as I spoke quietly. "When I saw that you were gone and the Bringers had taken you, I was pissed. When I found out The First had you and you were hurt....I was scared- terrified even." I chuckled and it sounded hollow. "I don't know how you did this to me, but you make me feel things that I don't understand or want to feel. I don't like worrying about whether you're dead or not, I don't want to feel empty when you're gone, I don't want to feel so...." Shaking my head, I dropped my gaze.

"I tried, you know? I honestly tried after you left to stop feeling this way about you, but then you showed up again and I just couldn't help it. It _physically_ pains me to see you hurt, like a knife is being driven into my chest, and I only found out why too late. You were a horrible person then and yet these feelings still developed, and now that you're...." I sighed while furrowing my brows. "It's even harder now. I just want to touch you, hold you close, kiss you, _love_ you. William, I l-"

"Don't." His voice wavered and I looked back at him to see the tears streaming down his cheeks. "Unless you mean it, just _don't_. I don't think I can take much more, Aud." Grabbing his face in my hands, I looked him dead in the eye.

"William, I love you." And to emphasize my statement I kissed him.


	83. Don't have nobody to call my own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: Mature content ahead, proceed at own risk*

Spike came up from behind them, hitting Rona before grabbing Violet and twisting her arm behind her back when she went to attack him. The red haired girl screamed as the vampire growled and went for her neck, but stopped short just before biting and raised his head while his demonic features faded.

"Okay. These two are dead. Why?" He asked the other girls spectating. Buffy stood with her arms crossed while I sat on a tombstone, my tail boredly curling one way and then the other.

"Cause the black chick always gets it first?" Rona popped off while hopping to her feet.

"Ow! Ow!" Violet cringed.

"What was that Rona?" Buffy asked.

"I'm dead because he's a vampire. I don't have Slayer strength, Slayer speed- it wasn't a fair fight." The girl pointed out.

"Right. Think I care if it's a fair fight?" Spike questioned.

"No! No-no, sir." Violet seemed a bit shaken still. "You don't play by the rules, and I have learned a valuable lesson of some sort. Ow!"

"Okay, Spike." Buffy tilted her head and the bleached blond let the redhead go. "You're right, you don't have Slayer strength, but that doesn't mean that you're not strong. You have inherent abilities others do not have."

"Not like you do." Molly gave the woman next to her a look.

"No, not yet. But it's there- you have the potential. You have strength, speed, instinct. You just have to learn to trust yourself. Rona, what did your instincts tell you to do just then?" Buffy turned to one of the girls.

"Block his attack, keep him off balance, gain the advantage...." She trailed off as I snorted while giving her a look.

"No, they didn't." I popped off as my ear twitched.

"Aud, no need to lie detect."

"Sorry."

"....They told me to run." Rona raised her eyebrows.

"Vi?"

"They told me to run." Violet nodded while holding her wrist. "They're still....sorta telling me to run." She threw her gaze at Spike while nervously shifting.

"Don't fight on his terms. Your gut is telling you to run? Run. Okay, regain the higher ground, make the fight your own." Buffy glanced at each of them while Molly was taking notes. "Spike, what did _your_ instincts tell you to do just then?"

"Hunt. Kill." He replied.

"Aud, no demonic advantages." Buffy tossed me a stake and I caught it while getting to my feet. "Spike, go at her at full speed." I felt my ears and teeth shrink as my tail disappeared while Spike was giving a skeptical look. "He needs to kill to live." Buffy turned her attention back to the potential Slayers as I stepped out. "That tells you everything you need to know."

Spike's face vamped out and he gunned it towards me as I tightened my grip on the wooden stake. Growling, the vampire leapt at me and I spun on one heel to dodge and then drove the back of my leg into his back. The blond crashed into a tombstone and the impact seemed to have stunned him as he fell to the ground. Straddling him, I held the stake over his heart with a victorious grin on my face.

"So, even in human form I can kick your ass." I mumbled.

"Instinct. Understand his, but trust yours. You were chosen for a reason." Buffy shifted on her feet while turning to fully face the girls.

"....You okay?" My brows furrowed when I noticed Spike's pained expression.

"Fine." His voice was strained as he propped himself up on his elbows. "Think you might have bruised some ribs, but I'm fine."

"Here, lemme check." I dropped the stake and started lifting up his shirt.

"No-"

"Don't be a baby." I said, but then he grabbed my hand gently while putting his shirt back down.

"I'm fine." Spike gave a short nod, looking me in the eye.

"....That's hot." I heard Rona say.

"Uh....we're supposed to, like, make-out with them or something?" Molly asked.

"What?" Buffy turned back to us and made a face. "Aud, tail."

"Huh?" I looked at her with confusion before Spike cleared his throat.

"Aud, your tail. It's, uh, doing the curling thing." He chuckled and I glanced back, not even realizing my tail had grown out and wrapped around his thigh. Trying to scramble to my feet I ended up falling flat onto my face because my tail hadn't uncurled and I quickly pushed myself off of the ground onto my hands and knees.

"It's not what you think!" I felt myself actually blushing. "Oh, God, in front of you guys...." My head hung from my shoulders.

"Be glad they aren't children, Aud. Tsk, tsk." Buffy teased. "Molly, Kennedy, let's go- you're up. Next lesson."

~

"How was training?" Willow asked as we walking into the kitchen. I made a beeline for the fridge and plucked up the apple juice.

"At one point I thought Spike and Aud were just gonna start making out in front of everyone." Buffy popped off and I spun on my heel.

"We weren't!"

"I'll be in the basement." The vampire waved over his shoulder and left, not even letting himself get drug into the conversation.

"That's not what I saw." Rona raised her brows and now Willow was looking at me.

"It was training!" I tried to defend myself.

"She tried to take his shirt off." Kennedy stated.

"To check his ribs! I hit him too hard, okay?" Pouring myself a glass of apple juice, I shook my head. "It's not my fault you hormonal teenagers saw it differently."

"There was enough sexual tension in that moment that you could stake it." Buffy didn't even look at me as she grabbed some crackers.

"You people are horrible. Every last one of you." My tail twitched as I grabbed my cup and walked away while drinking. Going to the basement, I stepped off of the stairs and saw Spike flipping a knife in his hand while leaning on a table. "Bored?" I asked him.

"How'd you figure?" The blond gave me a look, and I sat my drink onto the table.

"I had a nice long chat with the snacks in the stars and they told me." I said rather seriously, making him roll his eyes before he threw the knife at one of the targets on the walls. "How are your ribs?"

"Fine, Aud. You don't have to keep asking." Spike sighed.

"Fine. Oh, I'm almost done reading that journal." I stated while leaning onto the table next to him and crossing my arms. "That dimension is _wild_ I tell you."

"Kind of figured from the sap spittin', mantis-spider beasties." The vampire crossed his arms and a moment of silence fell. It was quiet as we just stood there in the basement, not saying a word or doing anything but staring into the darkness. But finally, the silence was broken when Spike gently grabbed a lock of my hair. "Dawn said white was your natural color."

"It is." I nodded while glancing at him.

"It looks nice." He raised his brows while dropping my hair and gesturing with his hand. "So what made you decide to nix the dye?"

"Didn't really have time to keep up with it." I shrugged, but my gaze lingered on him as my eyes traveled over his crossed arms and chest. "....Would you like to have sex with me?" My words came out pretty rushed, but the vampire caught what I said and looked as if he'd been slapped with his shocked expression and sputtering.

"Wha- I- You- ....Ahem." He swallowed, and I felt a smirk twitch at the corner of my mouth. "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

"Because I do. With you, I mean. But only if you want to as well." I turned to stand in front of him and placed my hands on either side of him onto the table, pretty much trapping him there. "And be honest with me, if you want to we can right now, but if not, we can wait and that's totally-" I was cut off when he grabbed my thighs and lifted me up, wrapping my legs around his waist.

"Are you sure?" His voice was low, but then his brow raised when he felt my tail wrap around his leg.

"Yes." I replied before kissing him. His cold hands slid under my shirt as they ventured up my back and my fingers mussed up his hair. I only paused to let him pull my shirt up over my head before I nearly tore off his, and things only escalated from there when he dropped me onto the cot and was on me in a split second.

Spike's lips were on my skin, softly kissing at the side of my neck and collarbone as I purred. Reaching down to push his pants off of his hips, his hands cupped my breasts and squeezed.

....Buffy may have been right about the sexual tension thing because I already had the blond naked while he was just now working on unbuttoning my jeans. He leaned back to throw my pants over his shoulder before going back to kissing me. Spike's tongue ran over my bottom lip as one of his hands trailed down over my stomach.

This would be the first time we've touched each other so intimately since before he got his soul back- which was starting to feel like an eternity ago. But something seemed to be different this time around. He was slower, taking his time while kissing me more sweetly. It was different, but I wasn't complaining as my back arched from him sliding his hand between my thighs.

Spike's kisses trailed from my mouth to my jaw and down my neck as he rubbed circles over my clit with his fingers. I moaned when he moved his fingers to be inside of me, my teeth turning into fangs when he curled them.

"I quite like the way you purr, pet." The blond spoke lowly, his lips brushing over my collarbone. My thighs clenched as he kept thrusting his fingers and rubbing my clit with his thumb. One of my arms wrapped around the back of his neck while my free hand dug my claws into the pillow. I was rather glad we were in the basement with the house full upstairs....

My tail wrapped around his thigh instinctively and Spike situated himself between my legs while sitting back onto his haunches. It felt like my face was burning as I was panting while he looked down at me. The vampire curled his fingers again, causing my back to arch up towards him as my toes curled. Of course, with the type of history we shared, he knew exactly how to touch me to get the reaction he wanted.

It was after he replaced his fingers with his cock that I _really_ noticed a difference. The way he held me was different, and the way he fucked was....sweeter? Was that how it could be described? I felt like I was on a high with this pleasure, and the eroticism of it all was _Heavenly_.

The panting and moaning as we groped at each other while our bodies moved together was the same as before, so it seemed just the feeling and how he acted had changed. Spike leaned back again as his head hung and I got up to where I straddled his lap, my legs still wrapped around him as I rode him. My sharp teeth scraped over his throat as I purred, and his fingers dug into my hip and ass were he grabbed me. I ran my hand through his hair, lightly tugging on it as I licked the side of his neck.

My purr momentarily turned into a possessive growl as I nipped him, and my ear twitched when I heard another growl in response. I felt the vampire's fangs scrape against my skin and it gave me goosebumps as a pleasurable chill ran up my spine. Spike didn't often get his demonic face when we had sex, and when he did it was usually because he lost complete focus on remaining human looking.

It was kinda hot in all honesty.

Rolling my hips, his grip on me tightened before his hand on my hip went to the base of my tail, stroking the underside of it. My body shuddered and arched in response as my claws dug into his shoulder.

~

I woke up in a rather good mood while wrapped up in the blond's arms. The tip of my tail lazily curled and uncurled as it hung off of the cot, and I softly smiled while looking at Spike's sleeping face. Sadly, though, I couldn't stay here with him like this because I had work to get to today.

Sighing through my nose, I propped myself up on my elbow and leaned down to kiss his cheek.

"William....you have to let me go. I have work." I mumbled as his brows furrowed. He only held me closer as he tiredly groaned. "Come on, I'll get fired if I miss any more days." The blond just buried his face into the pillow while incoherently grumbling about something. "....Did you feel that? Last night?" I asked after a pause, getting his attention as he looked at me.

"What?"

"When we were having sex- I don't know why, but it felt....different."

"....Is that a bad thing or-?"

"No. No, no. Quite the opposite. It was....very nice." Spike chuckled at the expression on my face and lifted up his arm.

"Maybe it's the soul, love. I couldn't tell ya."

"Mm, maybe." I sighed before smiling and kissing his cheek again. "Just so you know, I like this."

"What?"

"I seem to enjoy being affectionate with you. I like how gentle this can be."

"Weren't so gentle when you were biting me." He popped off and I smacked his shoulder. "Ow!"

"I mean our time together isn't just fucking and then leaving. I mean, sure it took a while, but....I can see why people enjoy love. I'm just hoping all that painful shit is over." I sighed. "Got enough pain with this First shit." I got up to find my clothes so that I wasn't leaving the basement naked.

"....I'm sorry for that."

"What?" I glanced back to see him sitting on the edge of the cot.

"About before." Spike sighed. "I was being....selfish and I _was_ evil and soulless. I....I also love how affectionate you are. I like falling asleep while holding you and waking up with you still there. I like how you touch me so gently and-" He cut off while narrowing his eyes at me. "Tell anyone I said that and I'll drain you dry."

"No you won't." I grinned mischievously while stepping towards him and leaning down to kiss him on the lips. "You love me too much. Plus, I'm not telling anyone just so I can tease you about it myself." Spike rolled his eyes, making a face like he wished he hadn't said anything at all.

~

Straightening up some papers, I put a paperclip on them as Amanda hesitantly walked towards my desk.

"Hey, Amanda!" I smiled while putting the papers to the side. "Whatcha need? I'm all ears."

"Do people ever think you're weird?" She asked while sitting down.

"....Definitely." I nodded.

"I feel like people think I'm weird....and so they pick on me. But I might be....weird."

"Amanda, what makes you think this?" I asked while crossing my arms and leaning onto the desk.

"Well....one of the boys who picks on me....I kind of- See, if a guy picks on you, is it weird to think he's cute?"

"Oh."

"It's just that the last few times that I've seen him, I've wanted to....you know, pick on him. Extra. More. The thing is, I can't tell. My mom says that when a guy teases you, it means he likes you." The brunette told me.

"Sometimes that's true." I nodded.

"Is it weird?" She furrowed her brows. "We're mean to each other, and we like each other?"

"Well," I took in a deep breath. "it depends." I let it out. "Sometimes that's how people express themselves- being mean to each other. Either they can't comprehend how they feel, or they're confused about how the other person feels, there's a lot of factors to think about. Sometimes people just can't quite figure how they feel and, well, pick on each other to figure it out." I explained. "So, yeah, maybe it can seem weird."

~

"Buffy! Dawn! Willow! Great news!" I called as I dropped my house keys by the door. "All those sappy movies you guy's made me watch came in handy today!"

"What?"

"How so?" Buffy and Willow stood in the doorway leading to the dining room.

"I don't know why, but I got a bunch of kids coming in today asking about some love advice and shit." I stated. "Most of what I had to do was spout out some of those sappy speeches, twist a few words, and voila! Advice. What were you guys up to today?"

"Finding out that there's been a potential here right under our noses this entire time." Buffy popped off.

"Are we calling off training tonight to find her?"

"No, the ones that are staying here are gonna work on that." Willow pointed. "The girls need this training."

~

"So this is where you're all hiding." Spike popped off while walking into the kitchen before being greeted by the girls. I walked in right behind him while drinking some water and eyed the weapons on the island. "You ready to go, or what?"

"Let's go girls. Grab your weapons." Buffy said while walking away from where she was with Andrew who was no doubt begging to come along yet again. I plucked an apple from the basket next to the weapons, and the girls each picked something as I walked back out of the kitchen.

"Is it weird that I find it funny how Aud grabs fruit right after Buffy says to grab a weapon?" Violet questioned and I smirked before biting into the crisp apple.

"Vi, she is her own weapon." Kennedy stated and I heard them filing out of the kitchen and towards the front door where I stood. Usually I wouldn't listen when I overheard these things, but I was curious about this topic as it concerned me.

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the apple was her weapon. Just set the thing on fire and chuck it." Rona came around the corner while miming as if she was throwing something and I opened the front door. Munching on the fruit in my hand, I just kept the door open as the girls filed out with Buffy behind them like a dog herding sheep. When we got to the end of the street, Buffy went to the head of the group to lead us where we were going.

"This is a bar!"

"Best damn field-trip I ever took." Kennedy was grinning.

"Woah, they're all-"

"They're _demons_!" Violet nearly shouted with surprise, making some of them look right at us. "It's a 'demon' bar. It's like a gay bar, but only 'demons'."

"Spike!" A toothy, tentacle-y demon got up from the bar and walked towards us. Spike took a few steps in front of everyone to meet the demon halfway. "Long time. And I see you bring snacks." The demon glanced to the girls.

"Touch them and lose your privates." The vampire said rather calmly with an underlying edge, making the demon return to his seat without another word.

"I didn't like him." Violet mumbled.

"Nice job of blending in, girls."

"We're a bunch of 15-year-olds in a _demon_ bar- how much blending did you _think_ we were gonna do?" Rona looked at Spike like he was an idiot and I snorted.

"Look, it's okay." Buffy nodded. "Usually, when you come to a place like this, you 'want' to be seen. You want to scare someone, or make contact-"

"Or have a strong drink?" Molly raised her brows while smiling.

"Not usually that." The Slayer furrowed her brows.

"You don't drink?" Kennedy asked.

"Sure I do. ....I mean, no. That would be wrong."

"Do they card?"

"Nope! Go ahead." Buffy shook her head and the girls went towards the bar. "Down all the yak urine shots or pig's butt spritzers you like." I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing as they immediately backed away from the bar.

"Gross."

"Got that right. With the prices they charge, you could just get human blood straight from the body." Spike popped off, making Molly and Violet look at him. "Vampire."

"Look, if I come here, it's because I've got to wring information out of something large, scary, drunk, and with a room full of friends who don't care very much for the Slayer. Remember that. There isn't a being in here that wouldn't gladly rip your throat out." Buffy was saying, but I spotted a familiar demon sat at a table with a bottle of whiskey. My tail twitched and I wandered over to him, plopping down into the chair in front of him and snatching some of the peanuts he had.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Mystery Delivery Guy." I said before popping the nuts into my mouth. "What are you still doing here? I thought you'd go back to where ever you came from after dropping off the journal."

"Thought I'd take a little vacation." The large demon took a drink from his whiskey.

"Uh-huh." I took some more peanuts. "Feel like telling me who sent it now?" The demon sighed while giving me a look. "Okay, okay, you can't, I get it." Rolling my eyes, I pointed. "But you at least owe me _some_ info for spilling tea on it." The male paused while his nostrils flared as if he was smelling something.

"....I picked it up in L.A. from another demon. I don't know where it was before then." He told me before his eyes drifted to the vampire standing next to the table.

"Who's this?" Spike asked me, eyeing the larger demon.

"Drinking with a _friend_ tonight, Aud?" The scaled male brought the whiskey to his lips while eyeing the blond.

"I'm not drinking tonight, and this is the guy that delivered the journal." I looked from one to the other while answering. "I stole some of his peanuts and got him to cough up some info. Nearly had to wrestle it out of him." The demon across from me rolled his eyes.

"So, lizard boy here is the big demon makin' mysterious deliveries?" The vampire crossed his arms while shifting on his feet. "Where'd you get it?"

"Says he picked it up from a demon in L.A." I replied as my tail swayed.

"What kind of demon?" Spike put his hands onto the table, narrowing his eyes at the other male.

"The demonic kind." He popped off over his drink.

"You-"

"Spike! Aud! We're leaving." Buffy called to us from the front door.

"Shit. You- stay in town. I'm gonna get my answers one way or another." I pointed at the scaled demon before grabbing Spike and dragging him out of the bar.

~

"A vampire is an animal." Buffy stated as we walked into a crypt. "Sometimes they run in packs, sometimes alone." She added while shining the flashlight around to check the area before turning it off and turning to the girls. "Who can tell us where we are?"

"It's a nest." Kennedy glanced around.

"How can you tell?" Buffy handed me the flashlight.

"Only a vamp could live like this."

"Some, yeah." Spike piped up. "And as a group we're not really known for our taste in decor, but in all fairness to race....this place is seriously lacking in style." He made a face while looking at the trash littering the ground.

"Thank you, Spike."

"I was only sayin'." He glanced at the Slayer.

"Well, he has a point." Buffy nodded while turning her attention back to the girls. "Vampires can live anywhere." She shrugged. "Any _way_ they want. Tastes, fashions, living conditions....they can vary. The animal inside- always the same."

"Where'd you live?" Molly looked to the bleached blond.

"What, you mean before?" He asked and she nodded. "A crypt, actually. But nicer. Bit more.... I don't know if 'posh' is the right word, but it was more like-"

"Comfy." I popped off.

"Excuse me?" Kennedy raised her brows. "When did you find it comfy?" I felt Buffy and Spike both look at me and I just stared straight ahead.

"No comment."

"....Moving on." The Slayer shifted on her feet while the girls looked at each other and smirked. "If you want to stay alive, you have to spot and identify a nest on sight. Look around. All of you. Look around for signs that just last night maybe a dozen- 2 dozen- vampires were right where we're standing." Buffy pointed at the ground. "Go ahead." And the girls dispersed. " _'Comfy?'_ " The woman turned to me while crossing her arms and my tail twitched as I held the flashlight.

"It just popped out, okay?" I said quietly to keep the girls from hearing me. "But, honestly, the place was pretty nice for a crypt and a literal hole in the ground." Spike smirked as Buffy raised a brow at me.

"Buffy, I think we found something." Rona rose her voice, gaining our attention as she stood next to Molly.

"It's a body." We all walked over, seeing what they were looking at as Buffy knelt down and grabbed the man to check his neck.

"It's not a body." She dropped him while grabbing a stake. "It's left-overs." The vampire on the ground turned with his face looking inhuman as Buffy stood up. Everyone quickly backed away so that we weren't all crowded in one area. "No one's safe." The Slayer stated while keeping her eyes on the enemy. "Not here, not ever. See this guy?"

"But he was dead a minute ago!" Kennedy made a face.

"That was a minute ago. Now-" Buffy swung her fist to punch the advancing vampire. "he's the enemy." The vampire lunged at the blonde woman and she countered. "You can't think too much, reacting is better. Could be the difference between staying alive and....that other thing." The vampire knocked the stake from Buffy's hands as they fought, and I took a step forward without even thinking. A cold hand on my wrist stopped me from interfering, and I hesitantly took a step back.

"No need to worry, pet. She can handle herself." Spike mumbled as the Slayer and the vampire were still exchanging blows.

"The question is never _'What do you think',_ it's always _'What do you know?'_ " Buffy stated before catching her opponent's leg. "You got to _know_." She added while punching the vampire. "If you don't- you make one mistake, it just takes one vampire to kill you. So you've gotta know you can take him. Know you're environment, what's around you, know how to use it. In the hands of a Slayer, _everything_ is a potential weapon. _If_ you know how to see it. When you're fighting, you have to know yourself. Your brain, your body- Know how to stay calm. Centered. Every move is important. Every blow is a part of your plan because if you make that one mistake....you're dead."

Buffy snatched her stake up from the ground now that she had an opening.

"You're not the Slayer. You're not a potential." The blonde blocked the vampire's kicks. "You're dead. So what do you know? Right now, the only thing you know for sure," Buffy threw her opponent across the crypt and looked to the girls. "you're not me." She dropped the stake in front of the scared looking girls clutching onto their weapons and went out the front door. Spike and I closed them in to fight the undead themselves so that they could have hands-on experience. I listened to the fight inside just to be on the safe side, though....

~

Bounding up the stairs and jumping over the rail, I tackled a Bringer to the floor as more were coming down the hallway. He swung his knife and I leaned back to dodge before grabbing his head and twisting it until I heard a sickening crack.

Getting to my feet, I caught another Bringer's wrist just before I got stabbed and spun on my heel while going under his arm. There was a pop as it twisted out of its socket before I aimed the curved knife still in his hand at his spine and shoved forward, making the Bringer stab himself. I dropped him now that he was dead and looked up to see the other Bringers taken down by Buffy, Xander, and Spike, and....Amanda was killing a vampire.

"Okay.... One minute I'm in Swing Choir, and the next.... What the Hell's going on?" The teenaged girl looked right at me with plain confusion on her face. "You tell me to come to you with problems. Turns out a _vampire_ attacked me- problem. So I go to your house, only, when I get there, this orange cloud hits me!"

"She was at the doorway." Dawn said lowly from where she stood.

"And I don't know if you're into drugs, but that's not my deal, all right? That cloud hit me and I got a little....dizzy and discombobulated."

"That was Willow's spell. She's the potential Slayer." Dawn explained.

"Ms. Giles, are you even human?" Amanda's eyebrows screwed together further as she looked at me in the school hallway.

"....I think you should come with us." I pushed the Bringer bleeding in front of me away with my foot. "Also....please don't mention this to anyone and everything will be explained to you."


	84. Please turn on your magic beam

"Are you sure you all will be all right?" Pops fixed his glasses on his face as he walked into the living room.

"You'll only be gone for two days, Pops." I raised my brows at him.

"I think we've managed a bit longer than that." Buffy popped off from the couch.

"Right." The man sighed. "Oh, Dawn, Vi's left her notebook on the mantle. Would you mind running it out to her in the car?"

"Sure."

"And while you're at it, could you smack her in the head with it to remind her to not leave it lying around?"

"On it." Dawn nodded while leaving, having the notebook in her hands while Pops sat on the edge of the coffee table.

"Uh, I, um, I'm just a bit twitchy about leaving you both alone again here while-while....in such a state of flux." Giles took off his glasses while scratching his forehead.

"I know." Buffy nodded. "But you should go. This trip is important for the girls to understand the source of their power."

"More Simbas need you, Rafiki." I popped off, earning a look from the older man.

"But do they appreciate the gravity of what we're undertaking? I'm finding this difficult.... Then _someone_ told them that the vision quest consists of me driving them into the desert, doing the _Hokey Pokey_ until a spooky, Rasta-mama Slayer arrives and speaks to them in riddles." Pops pointedly looked at Buffy as she tried to look innocent.

"That's not _exactly_ how I put it. Hey! How's Kennedy?" Buffy turned to Willow as she came down the stairs.

"Still Flu-y. Bummed about missing the field trip. She said she wants you to meditate extra hard for her and bring her back some s'mores." Willow smiled.

"Ah, yes, s'mores." Pops put his glasses back on while standing. "I'm going to end up singing campfire songs, aren't I?"

"Oh, yeah." Buffy grinned.

"Giles, you might wanna get out there." Xander pointed over his shoulder as he quickly walked in from outside.

"Oh, God, what?"

"Molly and Roden are fighting over who gets to drive the first leg." Dawn added while following Xander.

"Bet you wish you'd renewed that California state driver's license now, huh?" Buffy gave Giles a look.

"Rona won. You should probably let Molly out of the trunk." Anya popped off as she walked by and I heard a car horn outside.

"Please be safe while I'm away." Pops made a face.

"You too." I told him as he left. "That poor, old bugger." I sighed after the front door closed.

"If he's anything like Rafiki, he'll be fine....mostly." Buffy took a sip from her tea, her voice still a little raspy from being sick. She was getting better, though, and I chuckled while leaving the living room.

Going down to the basement, I saw Spike just sitting on the cot with his back leaned against the concrete wall.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Giles and the girls are gone now. Just left."

"Give us all a chance for a breather, eh?"

"From Giles?" I raised a brow.

"From the constant pitter-patter of clomping, teenage girlie feet." He gave me a look.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I smirked.

"Come on."

"Okay, you got me. I can finally sleep in my bed without waking to find them poking at me and trying to make me smack myself with a hand full of shaving cream." I deflated while plopping down next to the vampire.

"What?"

"Teenagers like to pull pranks."

"It's like a bloody war zone up there." Spike shifted, leaning forward and making the chains on his wrists rattle. "And not in the good way."

"Have you seen the kitchen since they've been here?"

"I'm just trying to stay out of their way." He sighed while waving his hand.

"I noticed." I glanced at the chains.

"This is better, and believe me, it's safer."

"But you've been fine. Not to mention in close contact with everybody."

"Yeah." Spike nodded. "With you by my side, yeah. You wouldn't let me hurt even one of them. And that's the way it's gonna be until we're sure The First is done making me it's bitch. Either we're together, or I'm on a leash." He stated.

"Then we just have to make sure the trigger is deactivated then. We've got a few days without the-"

"Aud." I looked at him, but he didn't say anything else as his expression just changed. "Ow."

"Ow?"

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" The blond suddenly threw his head back as his entire body tensed while he held his head.

"What's wrong? William, what is it?" Panic leaked into my voice as the fur on my tail puffed.

"The chip." He grunted, but whatever had happened seemed to be fading as he relaxed and lowered his hands. "The chip. G-God. Why would-" Spike's head flew back again and he writhed and clenched his jaw. _'What do I do?'_ My mind was racing as I looked around, but this wasn't something I could fix. _'What do I do?!'_ The vampire screamed in pain and I ran to the stairs, yelling for help.

~

"Hey. How is he?" Willow asked me as I entered the kitchen.

"In between where it comes and goes." My tail twitched as I poured myself some coffee.

"Well, there seems to be less screaming, so that has to be good." The redhead said while grabbing the kettle from the stove and pouring the hot water into a mug for tea.

"I hope." I sighed while grabbing the creamer. "That for Kennedy?"

"Yeah. Thought I'd bring her some tea. Help her feel better."

"Mm-hmm." Buffy hummed as she walked in and went to the refrigerator.

"It's just tea."

"Wil....how much do you know about the chip?" I quietly asked while stirring my coffee.

"Spike's chip? Well, I remember trying to dig up stuff back then, but, ya know, turns out when a secret government agency studies vampires and puts chips in their brains that keep them from hurting people, they don't really build websites. Why?"

"Even with the chip, Spike was able to hurt all of those people while he was brain-washed."

"Yeah, but he was under the control of The First."

"Maybe something's wrong with it." I mumbled while taking a drink.

"Maybe that chip is misfiring all on it's own then. ....Well, this'll be fun."

"Remember when things used to be nice and boring?" Buffy asked.

"No." Willow said after seeming to think for a second, then went to leave.

"Have fun....delivering the tea." Buffy smirked.

"Okay, not when you make it sound all dirty like that." The witch continued to walk away. "It's just tea."

"You going back down?" The blonde asked me.

"I've got my fuel, so....yeah." Gesturing to my mug, I then went towards the basement door. "Don't burn your food." I told the Slayer before going down the stairs. Setting my coffee down onto the table, I grabbed a clean rage and crouched by Spike laying on the cot.

"Popped another blood vessel, I think." He said lowly as I saw the blood on his pillow and face. Spike took the rag from me to clean his face and my tail curled around my feet.

"There's got to be a reason the chip is acting up." I stated. "Maybe it has to do with the trigger or something...."

"Or maybe it wasn't meant to last this long." Spike looked at me as he rested his head back onto the pillow. "One more thing you and I have in common, eh, pet?"

"I'm rather hoping deterioration isn't the problem....seeing as none of us know a way to fix that." I swallowed while looking at the floor. "We'll....we'll just have to find some way or someone that can fix it- do some research-"

"Try ' _Behavioral Modification Software Throughout the Ages'_."

"Right. Not really a book thing." I sighed while crossing my arms and thinking. "....It's a phone thing."

"Who ya gonna call?" Spike asked, and there was a pause as I looked at him. "God, that phrase is never gonna be usable again, is it?"

"Doubt it." I gave a soft smile and stood up. "I'm gonna go talk to Buffy for a bit, but I'll be right back, okay?"

"If I need anything, you'll hear the agony." He popped off.

"William," I gently touched his cheek. "I _will_ find a way to fix this."

~

"Wrong number or a big government conspiracy." Buffy sighed as she came into the kitchen where I had Spike sitting at the island, drinking some pig's blood to help replace what he was losing from nosebleeds.

"Did he leave any other numbers by any chance?" I questioned.

"No, just the one." She sighed, setting the phone down onto the island.

"Buffy!" Xander shouted from the living room.

"And I'm summoned." The Slayer left the kitchen to go see what was wrong as I sat next to Spike.

"Well, that was a bust."

"Just another obstacle." My grip on my coffee tightened as I looked into the mug.

"Yeah, and- Oh!" He fell to the floor, grunting and clutching his head as he squirmed, accidentally knocking his mug off of the island and causing it to crash onto the floor. The vampire screamed through clenched teeth, and I was on my knees next to him, my heart thudding in my chest as I could only watch him go through such agony.

The others came in as the pain was seemingly subsiding, but Spike continued to just lay there for a second.

"Maybe they'll call back." Buffy spoke up as I helped the bleached blond to sit up. "Maybe they'll send help."

"Maybe we can't wait." The vampire replied.

~

"Are you sure you two wanna go back into this place?"

"Do we really have a choice?" I asked, looking at Spike while stepping over a small rock. "If we're going to find anything to help, it'll be in-"

"Here." The male sighed while pointing his flashlight at a patch of earth. Buffy aimed her flashlight there as well and we knelt down.

"You think any of this stuff is still good?" Buffy questioned.

"Don't know. Worked pretty good when the Initiative held me captive here." Spike said as we began to dig to find the metal door that led to the underground facilities that had been overrun by demons the last time any of us were here. "Any time I'd get a little.... _rambunctious_ , the chip would kick in and I'd feel like my head was gonna explode. Then they'd dope me up and everything would be all daffodils and teddy bears. For a couple of hours, anyway."

"Maybe we should search for some files and stuff, too. You know, found out about the chips....shelf life." Buffy suggested.

"I'll take whatever I can get." The vampire leaned back when my hand wrapped around a chain. Getting to my feet, the other two followed suit, but I ripped open the door before either of them could help me with it.

"Aud-1, lock-0." Buffy popped off. She was the first one to jump down, followed by Spike, and then finally me. My nose was hit with an awful smell and I nearly gagged on the scent of decay filling the air. "Oh, God, they just left them." Their flashlights danced across the floor of the hall we walked down, illuminating the rotting bodies of both the human and demon variety.

"Just sealed the place off....left everything as it was."

"And it smells horrible." I cringed, walking around a dead demon hanging upside down from the ceiling.

"I'm thinkin' brief stay."

"Yeah. You're not wrong." We stepped into a more open area with less bodies on the floor, and Spike shined his flashlight at a door. "I think I can get us to the med lab....find the drug." He opened the busted door and a dying red light shined on the other side. Passing through the small area, we entered a vast and empty room that was completely dark.

A creaking noise made Buffy spin on her heel while my ears were twitching from something I was hearing. Clenching and unclenching my fists, I felt my nails sharpening into claws. I could hear footsteps from the darkest corners and the three of us went back to back.

"I'm not hearing things, am I?" I asked while looking around.

"Nope." Spike replied.

"I hear it, too."

"I think something survived." The vampire scanned the area with his light.

"Sounds like." Buffy said lowly.

"Do you see where?"

"No."

"It's moving fast." I readied myself to fight. "And it sounds big." My ears twitched again and I spun around, a growl growing deep in my chest. Spike and Buffy quickly faced their lights in the direction I was looking, revealing a door.

"Aud, do you- uh, feel like lighting up maybe?" The Slayer asked before my hair burst into flames, brightening the surrounding area as we cautiously walked forward. Entering another room, Buffy was suddenly hit from behind, dropping her flashlight as I bared my teeth at the demon.

It growled right back, its rodent-like teeth glittering in the glow of my fire. I made the first move, running at the demon before jumping and kicking it in the chest. It flew back into the wall, it's growl cutting off as it tried to catch the breath knocked from its lungs, and I went to help Buffy to her feet.

"Aud!" Buffy pointed behind me and I glanced back to see the demon dragging Spike off as he was holding his head in pain.

"William!" The fire on my head flared and I moved faster than I think I ever had before, ramming my shoulder right into the demon and sending him flying yards away. I bounced on the balls of my feet, watching my opponent jump to his feet and come at me. I ducked a fist before spearing my hand up through the demon's stomach and up towards where a heart would usually be. My claws pierced through so easily with how sharp they were, and I could actually feel his heart beating around my fingers as blood gushed out over my arm. Tearing my arm free from his torso, the demon just dropped into a pool of its own blood.

"Well, that guy was-" Buffy was cut off as lights suddenly turned on and I could hear multiple guns being being cocked and aimed at us. Clenching my jaw, I had been too preoccupied by the demon to sense the humans. "....Just the beginning."

"What's happening?" Spike looked up from where he was on the floor.

"Ms. Summers!" A voice called out and a man stepped forward. "Agent Finn reported that you tried to contact him earlier today."

"I knew it! _Government conspiracy._ "

"Ahem." The man waved his hand, signaling the others to lower their weapons as another cautiously approached me with....a towel? His eyes briefly went to my blood soaked arm and then it dawned on me what it was for. I took it and cleaned myself up the best I could as my hair fell over my shoulders. "He indicated that you might be needing our assistance. We're to provide you with anything you need to help....ass-face here." The three of us raised a brow at the man. "Those were _his_ exact words, ma'am."

Tensions seemed to calm a bit and the soldiers moved, taking Spike to the med lab to check him out while I paced in front of Buffy.

"Med team tells me they took a look at the chip. You were right," The man from before approached us while crossing his arms. "it's degraded. If it stays much longer, it'll be fatal to him." I couldn't help the growl that came from me as my tail twitched.

"Okay. So, how long til-"

"Now, ma'am." He nodded to Buffy.

"Right. Of course. Um, what-what do we do next?"

"Agent Finn said it was _your_ call, ma'am."

"My-? Wha-what's my call?"

"All decisions regarding Hostile 17 and the half-breed are to be left in your hands." He glanced at me as my growl got louder while I still paced like a tiger in a cage. "His chip- we can either repair it, or remove it." Buffy glanced over her shoulder at me, seeing how I was digging my claws into my sleeves while my arms were crossed over my chest.

I was nervous- anxious even, not knowing what was going to happen to William.


	85. Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream

"It's, uh, extraordinary good luck. And-and training." Pops explained while telling us how he took out the Bringer that nearly killed him. "Years of training. Chao-Ahn , keep up. You're new here, Chao-Ahn, take notes. Remember about training. But, I honestly feel the _largest_ part of it is instinct. Instinct and-and reflexes. It's a sort of weary watchfulness I've come into over the years." Following him through the graveyard, I just raised my brow at him, clearly able to tell he was bullshitting about almost everything he was saying. "It's like another sense-"

And he was suddenly tackled.

"Pops!" I stepped forward, then saw who had taken him down. "Spike?!"

"Hey!" The two men said as they looked at each other.

"You're not in pain."

"You're not The First." They were talking at the same time.

"What?"

"Anya said you were The First." Spike looked a bit confused. "Said you were evil. You're supposed to be all....go-through-able." The vampire got to his feet while gesturing to Pops.

"Then why the Hell would you tackle me, you bird?! What was that supposed to do?" The human male stood while dusting himself off and Spike got this look on his face while I snorted.

"I, uh....I didn't think of that."

"More importantly, you just hit me! Why didn't your chip go off?"

"Yeah, well...."

"Well, uh....when we were at the Initiative-" Buffy spoke up while waving her hands.

"There was a choice."

"Right. Either repair the chip or-or to remove it."

"You had it removed? _You had it removed?!_ " Pops shifted on his feet while looking at Buffy. "The chip?!"

"....Yeah."

"Had to make a choice."

"It really is okay, though, Pops." I waved my hand.

"What's a chip?" Amanda asked.

"They removed a chip?" Kennedy questioned, and the new girl said something in her native tongue that I couldn't understand a lick of.

~

"Aud, we need to talk." I looked up from the jar of peanut butter I was digging into with a knife to see Pops walking into the kitchen.

"About?"

"Spike." And I raised a brow to encourage him to continue. "I believe Buffy's decision was heavily influenced by you, and your feelings for him are-are coloring your judgment." I lowered the peanut butter to the counter as Pops leaned on the island in front of me. "That-that life leads to a future full of pain and I don't want that for you."

"I-" Sighing, I placed my hands on the counter, not realizing I was exhibiting the same posture as my father. "It's different now. Has been since he got back."

"It doesn't matter if you aren't physical with each other anymore, there _is_ a connection. You rely on him and he relies on you- that's what is affecting your judgement and it's even affecting Buffy because she does care about you and your feelings." I swallowed while briefly averting my eyes to the counter and I felt Pops' gaze change. "Wait- Aud....are you-are you sleeping with him again?"

"I thought that was rather _obvious_ to be honest, everyone else knew." I mumbled. "But that's not _'coloring my judgement',_ Pops. I can't speak on Buffy's behalf, but I believe she made her decision based on what she saw in Spike like I saw. He honestly is _different._ " I said, watching as his expression shifted. "That chip was no different than a muzzle on a dog, and you know how I feel about those. It was wrong. I mean, none of us even know what kind of man he was before losing his soul, but now that he has it back...." I sighed again while shaking my head. "He's a good man, Pops. Just give him a chance to prove that. He's aware of the things he did wrong and he feels guilty and remorseful about it every day."

"A good man?! Aud, he's been killing people for over a hundred years! The only vampire worse than him is-"

"Angelus, I know. And look at him now. You have even spoken highly of Angel, albeit only when he has his soul. Why can't you give Spike the chance you gave Angel?"

"It's different-"

"How?" I furrowed my brows. "You've said it yourself, Angelus was _worse_ than William the Bloody, yet you were trusted allies with Angel and he didn't even have to have a chip in his head for you to play nice with him. Spike has a soul now, Pops, stop treating him like he is the same as before he had one." Grabbing the peanut butter, I went back to making my sandwiches.

"I understand your concern, Pops, I do, but you think I haven't already thought about these things? You think I haven't laid awake at night wondering if I was making a mistake in trusting him? Wondering if letting him get so close to me would end up coming back to bite me in the ass? Well, I have. You're well aware of my issues concerning trust and letting people in, but Spike....he's the first to actually get this close to me. I trust him with my life."

"And ours? Aud, you're not the only one at risk here."

"Actually, I do. Call me an idiot, but I believe in him."

~

Casually sitting at my desk, I waved over my shoulder to the window behind me that had the blinds open. No one else was in the office other than me, and Principal Wood was on his lunch break as Buffy snuck in.

"Be quick and quiet, I have a student coming in a few minutes." I told the blonde as she quickly walked by.

"Why didn't we have you just do the snooping?" She asked while opening the principal's office door.

"Because if I got caught I could get fired and then we'd lose the handy position I have here. No one with view of the Hellmouth."

"Right." And she went in after nodding. I could hear her opening drawers and fumbling around as I was straightening up my desk before the next teenager came in.

"Ms. Giles?" As if the mere thought of them had summoned the kid, a boy poked his head in while looking much like a deer. Not literally though, just in how he looked at me. I mean, if he literally looked like a deer then he'd probably be a demon of sorts and-

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and gave the boy a smile.

"Why not have a seat, Marcus?" I gestured to the chairs in front of my desk and glanced to Wood's office as the teenager got situated. It had gone quieter in there, so I had no clue what Buffy was doing now. "So, what would you like to talk about today?"

"It's....It's about my mother."

"What is it?" My smile fell as my face took on a more serious expression.

"Things are hard sometimes, you know?" He rubbed his arm while looking at my desk. His clothes were baggy and worn, almost all black but faded with age. It was hard to tell because of his attire, but it seemed he wasn't quite skinny nor was he buff or fat. "Do you know what it's like to be poor?" His face was rather androgynous as well, and his hair was short on the sides and longer on the top- bleached a near white-blonde with roots that looked to be a rusty red.

"I do." I nodded, his green hazel eyes gazing at me, searching my face as if looking for a lie. Marcus had been sent to me a few times before, but he never talked about anything troubling him, just smiled and answered any questions asked with honesty. He was a sweet boy from what I could tell, but whenever I saw him walking in the halls his face was void of emotion or looked near murderous. My eyes went to the door when it opened, seeing the principal. "Principal Wood!"

"Aud." The man nodded to me while walking towards his office.

"Oh, um, someone is waiting for you in your office. I-Inquiring about a job."

"....Really? I wonder who- Buffy." He saw her as he opened his office door, and from his tone and expression he hadn't caught her doing anything _too_ bad. Robin rose a brow at me before closing his office door behind himself to have a talk with Buffy. Sighing, I relaxed back into my chair and turned my attention back to Marcus. He had begun to fiddle with the sleeve of his jacket while patiently waiting.

"You now have my undivided attention. Now, is your mother struggling financially? Is that what's bothering you?"

"Yes....and no. See, my mom....she's a wonderful woman, but....she's disabled and has a lot of health problems. We live off of government money because she can't work, and I've tried helping out but she wants me to focus on school. I've tried looking for work without her knowing anyways, but....no one is willing to give me a chance. I've been trying so hard to help in any way I can like my older brother did until he moved out, but nothing I try is working." Marcus was looking right at me again, his leg bouncing as I could smell stress and anxiety coming off of him in waves. "I mean....I'm smart- I make good grades, I've learned how to do a lot of things because we couldn't afford someone to fix stuff for us- plumbing, building stuff, replacing parts in the van, et cetra."

The boy swallowed while closing his eyes and rubbing the back of his neck.

"I've made resume after resume, adding all of my skills or even just listing the ones pertaining to the job I'm applying for, but....I've gotten nothing. How can I hope to help support my mother if I can't even get a job? A diploma doesn't pay for food on the table or co-pay, or even basic necessities. What's the point of focusing on school when in the end it's 'work' that I need, not a piece of paper?" He was a senior, if I wasn't mistaken, so there was no telling how long he could have possibly been holding all of this in.

"You've probably heard the whole 'you can get work with a college education' bit, haven't you?" I asked, receiving a nod. "Well, let me tell you this- It's wrong. Sure, there's some programs that guarantee work upon completion, but not everyone wants to work in those fields. Education isn't a guarantee to work or stable income and isn't always the path for everyone." crossing my arms on my desk, I looked at the freckle-faced boy. "Where do you apply?"

"Any where I can."

"And where do you want to work?"

"Any where I can." His pulse changed and my brows went a fraction closer for a split second.

"Marcus." I gave him a sincere look while speaking softly. "What do _you_ want to do for a living? What's your dream?"

"....I want to be an artist. But that's not a steady income and it isn't enough to-"

"Then don't do it. At least, not yet. Work towards it. Until then, have you thought about why people won't hire you?"

"I've lost sleep over it. I thought it was my appearance, so I even changed the way I dressed to interviews or to even just file an application. I thought it was the way I looked, so I tried to be friendlier- smile more. I thought it was my skills and tried to only tell what I thought was necessary for the job or even all of them included. I've even been turned down by fast-food restaurants. I don't know what it is. But....every day that I'm without work is another day my mother is struggling to pay bills with what little money the government gives us. She blames herself for things she can't control and tries to bear all of he weight on her own shoulders but-"

"As her child you can't let her." I said lowly, my heart aching for the kid. He was already having to deal with such things and he was still just a teenager, 18 at most, and that was still so young. Marcus nodded, twirling the rubber bracelet around his wrist. The state of his clothes made more sense now- clothes that were sizes too big lasted longer and could take a while to be grown into, black also stained less visibly and could easily be cleaned, and faded from wear and weather. There was no way of knowing just how long he had had those clothes. Even his bracelet looked worn. "Where's your older brother, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Off dealing with his own problems." Marcus said honestly. "He's got a new wife and a baby on the way, he's got his own struggles to deal with."

"And with the work, has _anyone_ even shown interest in hiring you?"

"A game store. They didn't hire me because I don't know much or anything about the newer consoles and games. They told me to _subscribe_ to magazine they ran to get info on all of that, but....I need a job to have money and they want me to spend money that I don't even have just to get it?" He looked at his hands while furrowing his brows. "I can't afford that, and I especially can't afford that just for a _chance_ at work, not actually getting the job."

Biting the inside of my cheek, I really wanted to help Marcus- I honestly did, but....I couldn't. I had no way of helping him when it seemed all he needed was a stable paying job that every attempt he gave just didn't give.

"How long have you been looking?"

"Since I turned 16. ....It's been almost three years now."

~

"....He gave you a job.... _and_ asked you out?" I raised a brow at Buffy while walking on the sidewalk next to her.

"Apparently my constant hovering around the school made him decide to put me to work while I'm at it. I'll be kinda doing the same thing as you-"

"Please for the love of all snacks, take the kids with romance problems." I grabbed her shoulders while looking her dead in the eye. "I literally have to rehash movies to help them! I am so inept! The extent of my own experience on the matter is with an English vampire that's getting his brain man-handled by something that's not even corporeal."

"....Don't forget about the raving mad episode of talking to himself and seeing things- Okay, I get it!" She raised her brows when I gave her a look. "I'll do it." I gave a relieved sigh.

"Thank you."

~

Leaving the kitchen, I nearly ran right into Spike and barely managed to save my drink. Sighing, I mumbled something under my breath.

"I still stand by my statement. You need a bell." The vampire obviously heard me as a sly smirk made its way onto his lips.

"Are you talking collars now, love? Is that the next step after chains?" My tail twitched as he looked down at me, leaning on the doorway between the kitchen and dining room. "I'm not ashamed to say that I like it when you're on top-"

"Shut up, you overgrown tic!" I bared my teeth while feeling my cheeks and ears flush, and the bleached blond only chuckled.

"So I heard Buffy got a date?"

"Not sure- it's either that or to talk about her new job at the school. ....Or he's evil." I shrugged, drinking from my glass while still standing in the doorway.

"Maybe we should try it."

"What?"

"Going out." The vampire tilted his head. "Of course, it'd have to be at night or I'll burst into flames and turn into a pile of ash, but there's plenty of things to do after sunset."

"....Are you talking about a date?" I scrunched up my nose while narrowing my eyes.

"I am, so what's that face for?"

"The last time you tried to take me on a ' _date_ ', it was to kill two random vampires about to have a movie binge." I stated, making him roll his eyes.

"I mean a real date, pet." Spike gently took my free hand in his, watching as our fingers intertwined before looking back at me with a small smile. "I can't really give you a posh dinner, but I get the feeling that's not really your thing."

"Yeah, well, never been on a date so...." I dropped my gaze while taking a drink.

"Then you and me, tonight, out of this blustering Hell-house." He glanced around while having a small smile. "Don't worry about a thing, short stack, I'll take care of everything." I felt my tail wiggle behind me, and thankfully he couldn't see it because it would betray my calm face and show my excitement. Sure, the common dates I saw in the movies didn't have much appeal to me, but I was curious as to whatever Spike had in mind.

~

"Hello?" I held my phone to my ear while rearranging my blade collection after polishing them.

"Hey there, pet. Got a pen?"

"Hold on." Raising my head, I knew it was Spike on the other end of the call. Wandering to my desk, I found a pencil and some paper. "Okay, what do you need me to write down?"

"An address." I nodded even though he wasn't even there and scribbled down what he told me to. "Now, go there."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it."

"....Okay, but-"

"Aud," The vampire sighed and I could easily imagine him pinching the bridge of his nose. "just trust me and go there."

"Fine." I dropped the pencil and ripped the page off the pad. "But where in the Hell are you? Is this where you're at? Do you need help?"

"Yeah. That's it. I need your help, but don't bother with rounding up the cavalry, you're plenty assistance."

"Are you okay?!"

"Fine for now, so hurry up." The call ended and I dashed out of my room with the address in my hand.

"Whoa, Aud, what's the rush?" Buffy asked as I darted around her.

"I just need to go get something- don't worry about it!" I waved over my shoulder while skipping steps down the stairs. Grabbing my jacket on the way out the front door, I swung it onto my shoulder while sliding my arms into the sleeves as I hopped down the porch steps. Thankfully, Spike had added directions along with the address because it was in a part of town I hadn't been in.

Going through alleys and past tall, brick buildings, I found the address to a heavy, metal door. Glancing around, I pocketed the piece of paper and slightly shifted my appearance while finding that the door was unlocked. If there was something dangerous inside, I didn't want to be going in unprepared.

The door opened with ease and thankfully didn't squeak as I snuck inside. It was dark, but from the dim lighting from up ahead I could at least make out my surroundings. I was coming in through the back door to a kitchen of sorts, seeing carts with trays and polished, silver countertops.

Looking around, I didn't see anything strange, but with the way the dim light flickered and moved I could tell it was coming from a fire. _'Spike, what the Hell did you get yourself into?_ ' I mentally sighed while silently stepping past some stoves. I could smell food, but I was in a kitchen so that didn't really help much. However, I also smelt demons....a lot of them.

With the way it smelled, I wouldn't be surprised if they had been swarming this area not too long ago.

Going towards where the fire was, I flexed my claws, making my knuckles pop. Stepping around a corner, I paused at what I saw.

The fire was actually some candles set on a small, silver table covered by a dark cloth, and there was also plates of food set around the candles....

"Spike?" I called out with uncertainty, raising my brow while my eyes wandered around. "Oh, please tell me demons aren't trying to cannibalize you...."

"Aud, you're so smart, but so dense." I jolted from the man's voice coming from right beside me. "Hope you're hungry."

"You- I-I thought you were in danger!" I pointed at the bleached blonde as he walked past me and filled some glasses with alcohol.

"Yeah, well, you were askin' too many questions, love."

"Hey, I thought-"

"Yeah, I called in a favor. This place usually caters to demons, so it wasn't that hard to pull some strings with a bloke that owes me." Spike set one glass down while picking up another to fill it.

"....Well, it smells good." I eyed the spread on the table as my tail swayed.

"Thanks. I made it."

"You can cook?"

"I can. Been around for over a hundred years, had to find _something_ to occupy myself with other than torture and murder." I narrowed my eyes at him while taking a step towards the table.

"But how did you learn to cook when vampires' taste buds are mostly dead to anything other than blood?"

"Smell, Aud. I can still smell. Now sit." He pointed to one of the chairs. "I know you eat like a bloody horse, so I made sure there's plenty." Spike gestured while I took a seat and began to name off the foods. "There's lamb chops, pork chops, chicken scarpariello, coq au vin, baked brie in puff pastry, and.... Aud, love, you're drooling."

Wiping my face, I heard him chuckling as he took a seat across from me.

"You're amazing." I told him. "Just absolutely amazing." Spike smirked before I began to eat and I was shocked by how good it actually was. "Oh, my god. This is delicious!" I groaned while the vampire was just beaming with pride and satisfaction. "Holy shit, are those turnovers?"

Talking between bites, I learned that Spike even knew how to make those flowering onions that _The Bronze_ had for a short while. My tail was curling back and forth with contentment as I laughed and ate, filling my belly with the warm and wonderful food. By the end of dinner, the table was completely void of food and Spike was taking the plates to the sink. Getting up, I grabbed some dishes to help.

"I'm not gonna lie, though, I did pick up a few things from those recipe books you had lying around."

"You mean when I lived with Pops?" I asked as I rinsed off the plates. "I hardly remember any of those." Chuckling, I turned off the water before pausing as Spike swept my braid over my shoulder.

"Enjoy your meal?" His voice was low and I felt his lips brush against the back of my neck.

"Very much." I replied, unable to stop the soft purr building in my chest as the bleached blond left gentle kisses on my skin. Turning around to face him, my back leaned against the edge of the sink as I looked up at him.

"Good." His lips turned up in a devilish grin as he placed his hands on the edge of the sink on either side of me. "I may not be able to give you much, pet, but-"

"I don't want a lot." I tilted my head. "I'm quite content with what I have." I smiled while grabbing the front of his shirt. "I mean, you have plenty to offer already. Witty banter, sarcastic remarks, meaningful conversation, and delicious food among other things."

"What sort of _other things_?" He quirked up a brow while leaning down towards me, his face inching closer to mine.

"Mm, good things." I purred, my gaze momentarily darting to his lips that were only inches away.

"Care to explain any further?" Spike questioned before I lightly pulled on his shirt to close the distance between our mouths. I could taste the drinks on his tongue as one of my hands ran through his hair. The vampire grabbed my hips, picking me up before sitting me down onto the edge of the sink while kissing me. My purr got louder and I bit my bottom lip when he pulled away. "I don't know about you, but I'm not quite ready to return to that rambunctious place."

"Me neither." My tail swayed behind me and I sighed when he went to kiss me again but my phone went off. "Hold that thought." Pulling my phone out, I answered it while Spike made a face and raised his brows at me. "Whatcha need, Wil?"

"Buffy left her phone here and we can't contact her!" Willow's voice sounded urgent, but I was somewhat distracted by Spike kissing and nipping at my neck, causing me to continue to purr.

"Isn't she on her date?" I tried to keep my voice even, but the blond was making that rather difficult as he kept his lips on my skin.

"Yes, but Xander's in trouble!" The witch replied, making Spike heavily sigh as he also heard her.

"Bugger."

"I'll track her." I told her while Spike leaned back away from me. "Any clue where Xander is?"

~

"What are you doing here?" Buffy looked up at me as I stood by her table, raising a brow at the principal since he had been feeding her.

"Is there a problem?"

"It's Xander." I replied as her eyes went to the vampire standing behind me.

~

"Sure he's in the high school?" Buffy asked as we were all piled into Robin's vehicle after it being explained that _Robin_ actually _knew_ about demons existing.

"Willow did a locator spell. Useful stuff." Spike answered, sitting there with his arms crossed as he looked ahead.

"I'm not surprised. That school is the center of everything." The principal added.

"H-how much longer until we get there?"

"Ten minutes." Robin glanced back at Spike with the rearview mirror, his face pretty serious looking. "So how do you guys know each other? I mean, I know Buffy and Aud live together, but-"

"He works with us. You know, uh, in the struggle against evil." Buffy said quickly, making me assume Robin's apparent history with vampires made her not want him knowing the truth.

"Mm. Cool." An awkward silence fell and I could feel the tension in the air. ....Boy was it weird knowing my boss was actually a vampire hunter- not only that, he hired me because he knew who and what Buffy was. However, it didn't seem they quite got to the topic of me actually not being human since Robin wasn't really acting that differently towards me.

~

"Xander!" Buffy yelled, bursting into the room where the seal was kept and seeing Xander tied and suspended over the seal. The Slayer went at the demon woman with feline-like eyes, knocking the blade from her hand before she ended up being thrown back.

Spike took a swing at the woman, missing before getting pinned on the ground as she growled and tried to choke him. I growled viciously, tackling her off of him as my tail and claws grew. She hissed at me and we were rolling over the dirt floor, scuffling like animals while becoming a flurry of punches and snapping teeth.

"Robin, help me with Xander!" I heard Buffy shout.

"But-"

"They can handle it." The Slayer replied before I found myself on my back with my fingers laced with the demoness', digging my claws into her knuckles as her nails bit into mine. She was trying to push me into the dirt and get her hands around my neck, but I was managing to hold her back rather well. Spike came into view with his face all vamped out, grabbing the demon before throwing her off of me and into the wall. She growled while getting up, going at the vampire and effectively kicking his ass as I was getting to my feet.

"Oi, bitch!" I got her attention as she was advancing on Spike that was on the ground. Swinging my fist, my knuckles landed heavily on her jaw, making her head jerk in the other direction. Dodging her kick, I drove my elbow into the back of her ribs and then spun on my heel as my tail wrapped around her waist and flung her across the room.

She made a noise akin to a growl, but it was cut off as I ran and jumped, aiming my feet right at her face. I hit my mark, but with how close to the wall she was, her skull was crushed between the brick and my boots. I heard the sickening cracks as her human form faded to show her true looks as a demon.

"Oh, gross." I cringed, shaking the blood and questionable substances off of my boots while crossing the room back the Spike. "Hey, you okay?"

"Fine." He replied while sitting up, and I crouched beside him, wiping away the blood from his busted lip with my thumb.

"How's Xander?" I asked, looking over to the trio by the door. Robin had an odd look in his eyes as he was blatantly staring at the vampire and I.

"You're friend's gonna be okay."

"Hey, Xand. I'm here." Buffy smiled at Xander as Spike got to his feet and we walked over.

"So, how's your date going?" He weakly smiled and the Slayer glanced to Robin who was still staring at Spike.

~

"What happened?!" Willow asked, seeing the state Xander was in as we walked into the house.

"What do you think happened? Another demon woman trapped me." The human male waved his hand. "That's it- I'm going gay. I've decided I'm turning gay. Willow, gay me up. Come on, let's gay."

"....What?"

"You heard me. Just tell me what to do. I-I'm mentally undressing Scott Bakula right now, that's a start, ain't that?"

"Captain Archer." Andrew wistfully sighed.

"Come on, let's get this gay show on the gay road. Help me out here."

"What if you just start attracting male demons?" Buffy grinned.

"Clem always liked you." Dawn chuckled.

"Would serve you right." Anya muttered.

"Children, enough." Pops piped up.

"Maybe I need some stylish, new clothes." Xander smiled and Dawn was about to say something else before Pops rose his voice.

"Oh, enough!" Everyone looked to the ex-Watcher. "Have you learned _nothing_ from tonight's assorted chaos? There isn't time for fun or games, or _quips_ about orientation." He picked up some drawings that depicted rather bloody figures with Bringer written at the top. "These aren't a joke. This," He tapped the picture and flipped to the next bloody drawing. "this happens. Girls are going to die. _We_ may die. Try to be serious." Pops looked at each of us. "Especially after what we've discovered tonight."

"What?"

"The First wants Aud." Andrew shifted on his feet while putting his hands into his pockets.

"Excuse me?" I furrowed my brows.

"Your abilities- your blood- yet again puts you peril." The older male dropped the pictures onto the desk beside him, his face and heart not showing that this was a joke.

"Hold on, hold on, what the Hell happened?" I raised my hands.

"Oh, The First wanted me to shoot all of the girls, uh, just the potentials, though, and then deliver you to him. Or, well, it." Andrew tilted his head.

"And why the Hell would it want that?" Spike asked.

"Because Aud's blood could keep the Hellmouth opened permanently." Anya crossed her arms. "Not to mention really anything else the bastard wants- I don't think we have to be reminded about what happened when Glory tried to use it."

"So The First is back in the mix...." Buffy mumbled.

"It also still has plans for Spike." Pops adjusted his glasses and the vampire and I exchanged looks.


	86. Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream

I don't know why I couldn't sleep, but I was still lying awake and staring at the staircase leading out of the basement. There were more than 20 girls upstairs now, and I had given up my room to give them more places to sleep and just migrated down to the basement with Spike. The bleached blond was out like a light behind me, his arm draped over my side while his face was buried in my hair.

I was comfortable and tired, but my mind just wouldn't shut up and let me sleep. Buffy and I alternated working- I'd work the days she was off and vice versa at the school and that was thankfully enough to keep plenty of food in the house for the mass of people living here. Andrew was even pretty much living here, baking and cooking and acting like a weird mother hen. On my days off, I was working in assisting in the girls' training. I had to go easy on them because of the sheer difference in power and skill, but they were learning.

Kennedy was taking a sort of leader role among the potentials, directing their non-combative training in the back yard. Xander was either at work or repairing something that got broken around the house, Anya was just doing her own thing, Willow was still up with the research or by Kennedy's side and helping out. Spike was still sparring with the girls to give them hands on experience against a vampire....but they were still just teenagers and, again, learning.

Sighing, my eyes wandered around the basement covered in training gear and targets pinned to the walls. War was on the horizon and our only defense was a bunch of potential Slayers still learning to fight and four people that actually had some sort of power- two of which The First wanted for its own gain.

Spike shifted in his sleep, tightening his grip on me while pulling me closer and I set my hand on top of his. Rubbing my thumb over his knuckles, I chewed on the inside of my cheek. There were so many uncertainties and dangers around every corner and the literal apocalypse was coming if we couldn't manage to stop it. It was like a nightmare except this was all too real and waking up wouldn't fix it.

Taking in a deep breath, I slowly let it out while closing my eyes, attempting once more to sleep.

~

Sweat was beginning to form on my brow as I was standing on my hands and staring at the floor. I hadn't done my own training in a while and I could tell I was slipping with how I was losing control of my own physical form more and more often. I was trying to focus, but Spike and Anya were arguing after coming back from some errand that ended in a demon attack.

"But you just let him go!" Anya had her arms crossed.

"After _saving_ your life." Spike sighed, having his hands on his hips.

"For _now_. That was one of Dehofren's killers, Spike. He won't stop coming until he kills me!" The ex-demon waved her hands.

"And yet here you are- walkin', talkin'....annoyin'."

"But you fought like such a wimp-pire, what with the lifting and the running. Why not just kill him?!"

" _Anya_ , think." I could hear the irritation in the man's voice as footsteps were coming down the stairs. "I fight, demon boy gets lucky, I get knocked out, and you get killed. True?" There was a pause as if Anya was trying to think of something to say but was failing. "We both know the safest and sanest way of keeping you alive is by keeping you with me and away from danger." The human just scoffed and stormed up the stairs. "No need to _thank_ me. I'm just the one who beat him off."

I nearly fell on my face when I lost focus and snorted.

"'Repelled him' perhaps would have been the better phrase. Demon."

"Figured." Buffy's voice replied.

"I hope we're not intruding." Robin piped up.

"Not a bit. So what brings our good principal to this neck of the gloom?"

"I'm showing him our operation. Us." Buffy answered.

"Fine by me. Big fight against evil coming up. The more good guys we got, the longer we'll all live."

"Is that what you are? A good guy?" Robin asked.

"I haven't got any complaints. Well, I have heard a few complaints over the years, but then I just killed whoever spoke up and that was pretty much that."

"He's joking."

"No, he's not." The human male had such a serious tone.

"No, I'm not. But....that's the old me we're talkin' about."

"Why don't you tell me about that?"

"Not much to tell. I've changed."

"Oh, now that you have a soul?"

"Yeah. That was a big deal. Very....private. What, are you just telling everyone now?" Spike turned to Buffy as I shifted to one hand.

"Oh, come on, Spike, don't blame Buffy. I asked."

"Right. Get educated." There was a pause. "Yeah, I went to great lengths of trouble and now I'm unique. Well, more or less. Got myself a soul....whatever that means."

"And how's that working out for ya?" Robin questioned.

"In progress."

"Well, you've had some time. You've been in Sunnydale, what?"

"Years."

"How many?"

"Few." Was it just me, or was there actually tension between those two?

"And before that?"

"Been around."

"And what, might I ask, are you doing, Aud?"

"She's doin' a bit of trainin'." Spike answered for me.

"For what? That doesn't look very, uh-"

"Oh, uh, Aud doesn't actually naturally _look_ human and has to do some strange focus thing to keep her demon bits hidden." Buffy explained.

"And what does she naturally look like? Is it more than what I saw before?"

"It is."

"You know, I'm right here." I lowered my feet to the floor and stood up. Grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat off of my face, I began walking towards the two men that were only standing a foot away from each other. "If you have questions, just ask. I have nothing to hide."

"Okay. What are you?" Robin turned to me, his hands in his front pockets. He was wearing a brown suit today, still dressed as professionally as usual.

"A hybrid."

"Of?" His brow quirked up.

"Demon and human. Demon half came from a different dimension, but they're called Ustrina Augendae. Incredibly rare-"

"And incredibly _powerful_." Spike added, giving the principal a look.

"Powerful, huh? And here I have you listening to teenager's problems from 8 to 4. What can you do?"

"A lot." I wiped my brow with the towel. "It's mostly physical, but I also have some fire abilities."

"Pyrokinesis?"

"Not quite." Shifting my weight on my bare feet, I slung the towel over the back of my neck. "For one thing, my body has to reach a certain temperature, like now, or hotter and I can breath fire. It works sort of like how dog pants, I can do it to simply cool down or do it as a defense mechanism." I explained. "Other than that, I can set things on fire with touch when I'm in my true form."

"And what does that look like?" Locking eyes with the man, I simply tilted my head to the side and back, letting my body morph as I held the ends of the towel. "....Definitely a predator, I see."

"Oh, don't worry. Aud's only dangerous if you're a PB&J or some other snack food. Or-or if you're a demon, but since you're not, you don't have to worry about anything." Buffy waved her hand.

"Mm. You're hair isn't actually dyed either, is it? Not anymore, anyways- or was silver your natural color?"

"No, white is how it actually is."

"Your kind, the Ustrina Augendae, how many of them are here?"

"As far as any of us know, there's only ever been two in this world. My mother, and then myself."

"Where is she?" Robin glanced around.

"Dead."

"Oh.... I'm sorry." He shifted. "So, it's just you then?"

"Yup." I popped the 'p' as my tail curled.

"I apologize for asking so many questions, it's just....this is new to me." Robin looked me up and down, eyeing the markings on my face and visible skin, the long, pointed ears, the claws, the tail, and the semi-digitigrade legs.

"If that's not exotic enough for ya, her hair lights on fire." Buffy popped off.

"It what-?" It sounded like a _fwoomph_ and my head was like a campfire, making the principal take a cautionary step back.

"Another defense mechanism." I stated.

"And, uh, do you also have a soul or....?"

"Born with one."

"How strong are you, exactly?"

"Strong enough to break a man bigger than you in half." Spike chuckled. "You should see some of the demons this little short stack has taken on."

"Then I'm rather glad you're on our side then, Aud. It'll be....a pleasure working with you."

"I think we better get back upstairs." Buffy spoke up as the flames on my head went out.

"Right. Gettin' the full tour. Don't wanna miss a look at her weapon's chest." The two men stared each other down before Robin followed Buffy up the stairs.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

"What?"

"You get in a fight with the principal or something? Felt like I'd have to pull you two apart if he was down here a minute longer."

"I don't like him. Something's off." Spike sniffed while turning towards me, his gaze lingering on the stairs.

"Uh-huh." I raised a brow at the vampire, stepping closer as my claws clicked on the basement floor. "Seemed a bit more than that." He rolled his eyes, still having his hands on his hips.

"The guy just ruffles my feathers, a'right?"

"....He's usually a really nice guy."

"Usually?" The blond gave me a look and I crossed my arms while glanced to the stairs.

"He's been a bit different since finding out about everything. Though, that's normal for humans from my experience."

~

"Hey, why's everyone crowding around the-" I cut myself off, seeing the girl hanging from her neck in the dark bathroom. Some of the girls, Buffy, and Dawn were all standing in the doorway, looking pale and shaken.

"Heya, Aud!" My eyes drifted to what looked like Chloe smiling at me.

"The First." I mumbled.

"You just missed my chat with the girls, but I got a little message for you from someone close, wanna hear?" The visage of Chloe grinned while tilting her head.

"I don't want to hear anything from you." I growled, but that only made The First's grin grow.

" _~Tili tili bom, zakroy glaza skoree, kto-to hodit za oknom, I stuchitsya v dveri.~_ " I felt as if the air was being sucked out of my lungs as my skin crawled. " _~Tili tili bom, krichit nochnaya ptitsa, on ezhe probralsya v dom, k tem komu ne spitsya. On idet, on uzhe....blisko.~_ " I reacted without even thinking, roaring while pouncing at The First with my claws and fangs bared. The dark room lit up with the fire on my scalp and I heard Chloe's laughter fill my ears as I crashed into the wall behind the apparition. Things on the counter rattled and a few objects even fell as I got up.

I was breathing heavily, my heart pounding against my rib cage as I turned. The fur on my tail was puffed out and my markings were beginning to show as it was no longer Chloe standing there but a man instead. He wore heavy and worn out clothes with a long leather coat over it all, a dirty, weathered top hat was perched on his head while his long, tendril-like midnight hair was over his shoulders. Those sunken, pitch black eyes heavily contrasted with his pale, ice colored skin and his face wrinkled like old leather as he showed his shark teeth with a grin.

" _~Tili tili bom, ty slyshish', kto-to ryadom? Pritailsya za uglom, I pronzaet vzglyadom.~_ " His voice grated at my ears and I roared to drown him out, swiping with my claws to disrupt the image The First was making me see. He appeared behind the girls, still singing and I leapt right over them to futilely attack, scorching the ceiling as my fire went too close.

" _~Tili tili bom, vse skroet noch' nemaya, za toboy kradetsya on, I vot-vot poymaet.~_ " He continued while strolling down the hall. I knew attacking The First would do me no good as he lacked physical form, but my instincts were screaming at me- I was near feral with _**fear**_. I was crashing into walls, knocking frames from where they hung and leaving gashes where ever my claws struck. " _~On idet, on uzhe....blizko.~_ " My throat ached with the loud roar ripping it's way from my vocal chords and it shook the very air as the things around me rattled. I could hear yelling, but I didn't understand the words as my focus was entirely on the man grinning and singing.

" _~Tili tili bom, ty slyshish', kto-to ryadom? Pritailsya za uglom, I pronzaet vzglyadom.~_ " I could hear fire alarms blaring after I passed them and I shattered the coffee table while still trying to get the demon. My hind claws ripped into the rug as I was still going after the apparition, but I was suddenly caught mid-air and swung around. Hitting the floor, I scrambled to all fours, panting still while baring my sharp teeth.

"Aud!" A voice broke through the heart racing terror but I was still too lost as The First appeared, crouching right beside me and humming. I swiped my claws at him like a lion as my tail was thrashing back and forth. I twisted to strike again, but a hand grabbed my wrist and I instinctively swiped with my other hand, my claws cutting through flesh rather than air before my hands were being held together in a vice-like grip. "Aud! It's okay!"

An arm wrapped around me, pulling me towards another body and I realized how much I was shaking.

"Shhh, pet, it's okay. It's okay." It was hard to breath and I tried to struggle, but whoever had me wasn't letting go. "It's not real, love. I promise, it's not real."

"Promise?" I choked out, feeling tears prick at my eyes.

"I swear it." His voice was low, hardly above a whisper, and the fire died as he held me to his chest. "That's it, Aud." The hand on my back began to stroke my hair in a comforting manner and a few seconds after my hands were freed. Spike just sat there in the middle of the living room floor, cradling me as I shivered and silently cried. The adrenalin and fear was still coursing through my system, but my ramming heart was starting to calm to its regular rhythm.

I clutched onto the front of his shirt like a terrified child while feeling multiple pairs of eyes on me, but I wasn't in the condition to even care.

"Who was that?" I heard a whisper, but no one answered and everything was silent except for my sniffling.

~

I don't know how much time had passed, but Spike was still holding onto me. However, we were in the basement and away from everybody else now.

"....I'm sorry." My voice was hoarse as I looked up, seeing the burn and bleeding scratch on his cheek.

"Don't worry about it. It'll heal." He scoffed. "Not to mention I've had _much_ worse."

"Not the point." I shifted in his lap. "I didn't mean to-"

"I know, love." The vampire gave me a soft smile and I cupped his cheek in my hand. Scraping my tongue against one of my canines, I made a small cut before gently licking at his wounds. Spike tensed from the initial sting, but relaxed as he began to heal. "I know you don't like me comparing you to an animal, but when you do stuff like tha- Ow!" I nipped him to get him to shut up before I cleaned my own blood from his cheek.

"....How bad is it up there?" I asked quietly.

"I didn't see it all, but you did a number on the living room." There was a pause as I rested my head on his shoulder. "He was one of them, wasn't he? Who The First was lookin' like."

"Yes." I tried to swallow the lump in my throat.

"The First was only trying to shake you. It knows it can't get you unless you're weak."

"I feel weak. I didn't even have to see his face and I was back to being that scared little girl."

"Well, you're not. You're the strongest person I know, Aud, in every sense of the term. You've been through Hell and back, you've even been killed, but here you are, love, still going strong."

"I need to go-"

"I'll take care of it." Spike stopped me as I was trying to get up. "You try and and get some rest. It's getting late, anyway." The vampire shifted, laying me down on the cot as he got to his feet. He brushed some of my hair behind my ear, giving me a reassuring smile before he turned towards the stairs and left.

As soon as I heard the door close I sat up. This didn't feel right. It felt like I was hiding by staying down here. Swallowing, I stood and calmly walked to the stairs, my bare feet padding across the cool floor. I ascended the stairs, opening the door with ease as I stepped into the the small area between the kitchen and living room.

"But let's not try to forget that we're also your friends." I heard Xander say.

"I'm not." Anya popped off.

"Then why are you here?" Buffy questioned. "I mean, aside from getting rescued, what is it that you do?"

"I-I....I provide much needed....sarcasm."

"Um....that'd-that'd kinda be my job, actually." Xander said.

"You're here because you're scared."

"Same goes for everyone in this room."

"Fine. Anya. All of you. Be as scared as you like, just be useful while you're at it."

"Come on, Buffy." Willow spoke up. "You know everyone here is doing everything they can."

"The First isn't impressed. It already knows that. It knows what we can do and it's _laughing_. Why do think it went ahead and took a shot at Aud? Because it _knows_ we're vulnerable. You want to surprise the enemy? Surprise yourselves. Force yourselves to do what can't be done or else we are not an army, we're just a bunch of girls waiting to be picked off and buried." There was a pause before Buffy spoke again. "Where are you going?"

"Back downstairs. Since I'm neither a girl nor waiting, all this speech-ifying doesn't really apply to me, does it?" Spike replied.

"Fine, take a cellphone. That way if I need someone to get weepy or wailed on I can call you."

"If you've got something to say-"

"Just said it. You keep holding back, you might as well just walk out that door."

"Holding back?!" Spike raised his voice. "You're blind. "I've been here, right in it- fightin', scrappin'-"

"Since you got your soul back?"

"Well, as a matter of fact, I haven't been quite relishing the _kill_ the way I used to."

"You were a better fighter then."

"I did this for Aud! The soul, the changes- it was for her!"

"Yeah, well what she needs, what we all need, is the Spike that was dangerous. The Spike that tried to kill me when we met." Buffy retorted.

"Oh, you don't know how close you are to bringing him out." The vampire's voice was a near growl and I hugged myself.

"I'm no where near him. Maybe that's why The First thought Aud was defenseless enough to do what it did to her."

"You don't even _know_ **what** it did."

"I know that whatever it was pissed her off so badly she saw red."

"You think that was rage?! You really must be blind! You saw her crying and shaking in my arms, and you thought it was because she was ' _pissed off_ '? Buffy, she was _terrified._ "

"What? You're joking, right? Aud, terrified? Please." Xander scoffed. "Anything that could scare Aud she could either eat or burn to a crisp, she's got nothing but the apocalypse to be scared of."

"Unless the blighter The First took the form of just so happened to be one of the demons that tortured Aud for four damn years." The vampire snapped. "She was a child, you really think she's gonna just get over that deep-rooted terror now that she's an adult?"

"....We didn't know." Willow mumbled.

"Should have been obvious."

"Spike, that's enough." I spoke up, hugging myself tighter while stepping into the living room. All eyes were on me now and I dropped my gaze to the floor. "It's not their fault. The First has plans and it will toy with us as it pleases whether we like it or not- it's an unstoppable force." I saw the looks I got and raised my head. "Yeah, I said it. The First can't be stopped. It's not a ghost, not a demon, not a god, or anything with form. It's the first _evil_. We can't beat it. But you know what we can do? Beat the shit out of every one of it's piss ant lackeys. Kill every Bringer that crosses our paths- diminish all of it's forces until it has nothing left to come after us with."

"....Dawn, get the potentials upstairs and break out that emergency kit." Buffy said lowly.

"What are you gonna do?"

"I'm declaring an emergency." Buffy stated as she briskly walked towards the front door.

~

"I thought you might wanna be here." The Slayer said to Robin as he set the heavy bag onto the table temporarily replacing the coffee table.

"Yeah, you thought right." He slid his hands into his pockets while glancing around. "....Did you guys get attacked or something?"

"Yes." I said flatly while curiously opening the bag. Kennedy reached in and pulled out a boomerang while Xander grabbed a cup.

"The emergency bag has got some neat stuff in it. weapons, charms, fancy reading assignments." Dawn gestured with the large book she was holding.

"Yeah, cool stuff. But we've seen it all before."

"Not this. What's in it?" I pulled out a box that was rather beat up and had a large padlock on it. It looked like it took a skeleton key, and Buffy stepped to my side as I was looking it over.

"I don't know. Hasn't been opened since-" Robin stopped as the blonde beside me broke off the lock and opened it up. "Well, since now." My brows furrowed as I picked up a metal figure shaped like a cave drawing of....something inhuman.

"Puppets." Xander chuckled. "That's it!" He pointed. "The First hates puppets. Now, if we can just airlift Kermit and Fozzy the Bear and Miss Piggy into town, The First will be a-runnin'."

"Those are Muppets." Willow said softly.

"And those things are shadow casters." Dawn reached for the one in my hand and I dug through the box some more, finding different shapes and figures. "You put them in motion, and they tell you a story. It says, _'You can't just watch, you have to see.'_ "

"Well, what the Hell does that mean?" Anya asked.

"That's cryptic. I don't like it. Every time instructions get cryptic, someone gets hurt. Usually me." Xander nervously rubbed his hands.

"Can't just watch, you have to see? See what?"

"That's where all my fancy translating skills break down, but I think it's an origin myth. The story of the very first Slayer." Dawn answered while looking at the book in her lap.

"I-I saw her."

"You saw the first Slayer?"

"The other night. I-in my dream- it's gotta mean something, right?"

"How about we find out?" I questioned, pulling out the base that the casters were supposed to be set on. It was mutually agreed that we'd at least see the 'story' and we moved around the living room to make space. Closing the doors that cut the living room off from the rest of the house, Willow turned off the lights and I cupped my hands around the wick set in the indent that was located in the center of the shadow casters' base.

Softly blowing, the wick caught fire and the room was lit from the little flame.

"Okay, according to this, I think, you put on those puppet guys one by one, they cast shadows, and the shadows tell the story. First, there is the Earth." Dawn read from the book and Xander grabbed the corresponding caster and stuck it onto the base before spinning it so that the shadow was directly on the blank wall.

"What's that sound?" Kennedy asked and I could hear drums being played softly.

"I really hope the girls upstairs have a set of bongos or this just got freaky." I popped off.

"Yeah. So far, so creepy." Xander waved his hands while looking around.

"Okay. Then, there came the demons." Dawn stated and Xander put on another caster. He spun the base and I heard a ghastly, disembodied yell. "After demons there came men. Men....found a girl. The men....took the girl to fight....the demons." Dawn was having a harder time translating and I heard a girl scream as the shadow was cast onto the wall. "Um, a-all demons. They....they chained her to the Earth. And then....a-and then- I....I-I can't read this." Dawn's voice sounded panicked and the casters began to move on their own, their shadows dancing across the walls and surfaces as the base spun faster and faster. "Something a-about darkness?"

" _What_ about darkness?" Buffy asked.

"It says, _'you can not be shown, you can not just watch, but you must see. See for yourself, but only if you're willing to make the exchange.'_ "

"When did you get so good at Sumerian?"

"It's not in Sumerian anymore." Dawn looked up from the book and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. _'No one said anything about magic.'_ I thought while taking a cautionary step back from the shadow casters that had taken on lives of their own.

I could hear more screaming and chanting and the beat of a drum as demons made from shadows crept further up the walls and onto the ceiling, their bony fingers reaching out like barren tree branches. Suddenly, there was a bright light and I had to shield my eyes until they adjusted. In the center of the room was now what I could only describe as a door without a handle made from flowing water. It shimmered and glowed, and Buffy stepped towards it.

"What does it mean?"

"It means I have to go in there." Buffy's voice was hardly over a whisper and I looked at her like she was crazy.

"No it doesn't! Where does it say that? It doesn't say that!" Willow panicked.

"Buffy, you don't even know what you're exchanging." Robin pointed out.

"Better yet, you don't even know what in the flying fuck is going on!" I waved my hand as she glanced at me.

"Buffy, we don't even know where you're going or how we'll get you back!"

"Buffy, you can't!"

"How will we get you back?"

"Find a way." The Slayer said before just jumping through the doorway. As soon as she went through, the portal closed and it was dead silent in the room.

"She's gone...."

"What was that about an ' _exchange_ '?" Anya glanced at each of us, and as if her simply saying something had summoned it, a demon appeared with a flash of light. The brute was massive, muscled and had tusks and looked overall intimidating.

"Ah, this must be the exchange student." Xander popped off before getting thrown over the demon's shoulder.

"Willow! Use your magic to send him back!" Kennedy shouted and I got between the demon and humans while baring my teeth and flexing my claws.

"Um....trying!" Willow replied while I felt my tail growing out as it was swaying. The demon's eyes locked on mine and we growled at each other. I went to attack, but underestimated the demon in its abilities and it was faster than I thought, throwing me across the room until I hit a wall.

"Oof!" I had to shake my head while getting up and saw Robin trying to fight the demon before failing. "I'm not done yet!" I snarled, running and jumping onto the demon's back.

"Yaaaaa!" Kennedy came running with a sword in her hands, taking the demon's attention along with the screaming Dawn wielding an axe. They were both thrown back- thankfully into the couch- and I sunk my teeth into the demon's shoulder while digging in with my claws.

It roared in pain, swinging around to try and yank me off but I wasn't going anywhere. The blood in my mouth was extremely bitter, and I shook my head like a dog with a toy, ripping off a good sized chunk of flesh before the demon reared back into the wall and effectively knocked me off.

"Get out of here! All of you!" Spike yelled, getting the demon in a headlock as I spit out blood and meat. "Unless you all want to end up all dead and useless!"

"What are _you_ gonna do?" Kennedy asked.

"What I do best." The vampire rammed the demon's head right into the wall, banging his head against the door frame a few times before suddenly being grabbed by the throat and thrown up through the ceiling. I roared at the demon as my hair burst into flames, but rather than continuing to fight, it turned and broke through the glass doors and ran off.

I was going to give chase, but Robin grabbed me by the arm and shook her head.

"We can take care of that later, we have to deal with this." He gestured with her head to the injured getting to their feet. Sighing through my nose, I glanced to the broken door and then back to the living room and my fire went out.

"Is everyone okay?"

"I think we'll live." Xander said softly.

"Except maybe Spike." Anya popped off.

"Is getting thrown through the ceiling what he does best?"

"I'll go check on him." I glanced up the the hole.

"We've got bigger problems now."

"Yeah. Demon loose, no Slayer." Robin stated.

"I'll take care of it once everyone is seen to." My tail twitched as I headed for the stairs.

"I actually may need you here to get Buffy back, Aud." Willow spoke up.

"Why? Does Aud do magic too?" Principal Wood questioned.

"No, my kind- they enhance magic." Sighing, I went up the stairs and headed to Buffy's room since that seemed to be above where Spike had been thrown.

He was passed out on the floor, and I knelt by him and rolled him onto his back.

"Well, you don't look too hurt, thankfully." I mumbled before shaking his shoulder. "Hey, Spike, need you to wake up." The blond groaned as his face scrunched up. "Easy does it." Helping him sit up, I rechecked for any wounds, but there were only bruises.

"Bugger." He sighed, his shoulders slumping as he shook his head. Spike then looked at me for a second and he seemed to be debating something while clenching his jaw. The vampire said nothing while getting to his feet and walking out of the room.

"....Okay, then?" My brows furrowed as I stood and followed him downstairs.

"If we want Buffy back, we have to find that demon and send it through." Robin was saying.

"Does it matter if it's dead or alive?" Kennedy questioned.

"I vote _dead_." Spike said, gaining everyone's attention. "Slayer's counting on you, Willow- get crackin' on that portal and don't be stingy on the mojo. Just don't break the little battery." He glanced at me before shifting on his feet and dropping his gaze. "The demon's mine."

"Hate to say it ' _big man_ ', but you look like you can barely stand. We're trained. And the only thing we know for certain about this demon is it kicked your ass." Kennedy raised her brows.

"It did do that." Spike nodded, clenching his jaw as he went towards the back door.

"Where are you going?" Robin turned to look at the vampire.

"Something I need." The bleached blond popped his neck before leaving.

"....You're not gonna stop him, Aud?" Willow gave me a look and I could only furrow my brows while looking at the back door.

"No...." I replied lowly. _'Something seems....different.'_ I thought, but didn't vocalize.

~

"And this is gonna help us, how?" Kennedy asked as Willow was pouring a green powder onto the floor in the shape of a circle.

"The sand forms a circle and the circle acts as a barrier and the barrier contains the portal." Dawn explained.

"Now what? We hold hands and chant _Kumbaya_ or something?"

"Maybe. Until we get the magics up and running, I'm going on my best guess here." Willow replied, finishing the circle.

"Well, maybe we should wait." Xander waved his hand.

"For what?"

"For Spike- to see if he can bring back that demon."

"He'll do it." I stated with conviction while pulling up my sleeves.

"Not to mention a portal like this could take days even with Aud's help."

"Better get started." Kennedy scoffed.

"I-I think I might pee my pants." Willow said nervously and had to get a few whispered words of encouragement from Kennedy. "Okay. Aud, please." The redhead gestured to the circle and we sat in the middle with our legs crossed while looking at each other. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I haven't really done magic with you since...."

"I know."

"If you feel anything wrong, pull away, okay?"

"I will." I said, glancing down at her hands as she held them out.

"Then....then let's get started." Willow and I grabbed each other's wrists and she began to chant. "Dawn, you better put on some coffee, this could take a while." The witch said as a side note before there was a sudden flash and Willow was screaming like a banshee in my face, her eyes pitch black while her grip on me tightened and her nails dug into my skin.

I felt my body being forced into my true form, but I didn't move as my face scrunched up and I bared my teeth. The witch began to chant again louder as an unnatural wind blew through the living room.

"Screw it," She finally said. "Mighty Forces, I suck at Latin, okay? But that's not the issue- _I'm_ the one in charge and I'm telling you to open that portal, _now_."

"It's not happening Wil." Xander spoke up.

"Give her time, she's getting it." Kennedy said.

"Or something's getting _her_. Wil, I think you better back up a little."

"I just need a little more!" Willow tightened her grip on me even more and I roared while feeling like something was being drained from me. Her hair turned black as a portal opened and I tried to break free, but the woman wouldn't let me go. Xander had to physically yank her out of the circle and I fell forward, digging my nails into the hardwood while growling and writhing. I was trying to fight the drain of energy, but it was seemingly only making it worse. "Don't! The portal will close if you get her out! Aud, you need to relax! You're fighting too much!"

I was leaving marks in the floor and I didn't know what to do but....I trusted Willow. Panting, I let go, relaxing my tense muscles and falling to the floor.

....It was oddly serene. Looking up at the portal that looked like flowing water as it glowed so brightly was strange to be honest, but it was calming in a way. My body felt light as I laid there, and my senses seemed to be filled with the portal as I heard nothing but the waves of magic and felt nothing but a buzz on my skin.

And then it was gone. The light, the buzz, the everything and I was left in a daze.

"Aud, love, look at me." I heard a panicked voice as an arm wrapped around my shoulders. "What did you do to her?!"

"Do you ever realize how pretty magic is?" I mumbled, my gaze drifting to the bleached blond holding me.

"Her pupils are blown.... I-I think she's high on the magics."

"Hey, you're supposed to be demon chasing." I poked Spike on the nose and he heavily sighed. "We can't get Buffy back without the demon, mister."

"It's fine." I looked over at who talked and grinned.

"Buffy! Hey! Oh! You missed it. There was this big ass bitch here, he smelt like ass and- Woah-kay." The world pitched around me as I tried to get up and ended up falling back down.

"I'm so sorry, Aud. I didn't mean to-"

"Shush." Pushing my finger to Willow's lips to quiet her, I shook my head. "I feel fine. Wonderful, even." Grinning, I dropped my hand and spread eagle on the floor. "Incredible."

"I think Aud's had enough magic intake for one day. Or week." Xander popped off. Taking in a deep breath, I suddenly jumped to my feet and grabbed the bleached blond by the front of his leather jacket.

"Food."

"Food?" He furrowed his brows.

"I want pancakes. Make me pancakes."

"Wha- I- Aud!" I drug the vampire behind me like he weighed nothing as I went to the kitchen.


	87. Make him the cutest that I've ever seen

"You'd think after all you ate last night you wouldn't be hungry so soon." Dawn popped off as I was pouring myself some cereal.

"Huh?" I handed the box to one of the potentials before picking up the milk.

"Do you not remember?" Willow furrowed her brows while making herself some cereal as well.

"Memory is kinda hazy after the portal opened. Why?"

"You had Spike up almost all night making you pancakes. I actually felt bad for him a little."

"You actually threatened to bite him when he tried to stop." Dawn popped off.

"And cried until he crumbled up bacon into the pancakes." Xander plucked up a box from the island and I covered my face with my hand while groaning.

"Please tell me the crying is an exaggeration." I said.

"Started off as complaining, escalated to whining like a dog, and then full blown tears while blubbering about how he must be mad at you and yada-yada-ya. It was _very_ amusing watching Spike trying to console you and make bacon while getting popped." Xander smiled while nodding.

"Who the Hell has the low-fat milk?" Rona asked while standing in front of the open fridge.

"Morning in Sunnydale, and the women of command central take the time to fortify themselves for the day ahead." Andrew came into the kitchen, holding up the camcorder while potentials were coming in and out to make their breakfast.

"Hey."

"Women and Xander." Andrew aimed the camera at the human male. "Hey, I'm going to do your special intro later- _'The Man Who is the Heart of the Slayer Machine.'_ "

"Yeah? The heart?" Xander smiled.

"Things are tense in command central this morning." Andrew started moving around the kitchen as I began to stuff my face with cereal. "Buffy is purely concerned with some unknown danger and the air is _filled_ with foreboding."

"Oh, um, we're out of Raisin Bran." Dawn spoke up with drying off a bowl.

"I'll put it on the list." Anya replied.

"That's....probably not the....unknown danger."

"Look at this place. Damn girls' dorm is what it is." Spike popped off as he came in with Buffy right behind him.

"That's nice. Second-hand stinkiness." Dawn nodded as she put a pan onto stove. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the vampire lighting a cigarette while leaning on the wall.

"Full house." Andrew went on.

"Not inside, you twit. Not everyone is undead." Snatching the cigarette from between his lips, I crushed it in my hand, snuffing it out before dumping it into the trash can.

"Did you just call me a _twit_?"

"I think it's time to do some introductions, don't you, gentle viewers?" Andrew was now standing in front of Amanda.

"I'm Amanda, and I grew up right here-" She smiled and waved at the camera.

"No you, sweetheart." The scrawny male turned towards Buffy as she was pouring herself some cereal. "Let's start from the top." Andrew sighed. "You've already met Buffy. She's beautiful, with a lion's heart an-and a face of an angel. She's never afraid because she knows her side will _always_ win." I rose a brow at him while scooping the last of my cereal into my mouth.

"Anya- a feisty waif with a fiery temper and a vulnerable heart that she hides, even from herself." Andrew slowly turned while still recording. "This lovely girl- I don't remember her name. Oh, and Aud- the woman with a troubled and dark past, born from two worlds colliding, carrying the blood of both humanity and demon-kind within her."

I lowered the bowl from my face to see the human aiming the camera at me. Licking the milk from my lips, I just stared at him blankly.

"Despite all odds, she fights on the side of good along with her lover, Spike. Whenever the two are together, you can feel the heat between them, although technically, as a vampire, he's room temperature."

"Andrew, I will _melt_ your camera." To add emphasis to the threat, my hair was on fire for a brief second, making him take a step back.

"Or maybe the heat is just Aud because as you saw, she can get a bit _fiery_ -"

"Is he doing that again? Can't we make him stop?" Buffy questioned.

"I don't know. If we save the world, it will be kinda nice to have a record of it." Rona piped up.

"If we don't save the world, then....nothing matters." Amanda glanced around while holding her mug.

"That's catchy, Amanda. Let's make that our slogan." Kennedy was clearly being sarcastic.

"It is kind of strange how you keep saving the world, and there's no proof." Xander waved his hand.

"Yeah. For future generations." Anya took a bite out of her toast.

"And it _does_ help the girl's with training. You know, viewing the tapes." Willow raised her brows while her and Xander nodded.

"Come on, no one else thinks this is idiotic?" The Slayer gestured to Andrew as he was still filming.

"Or is is important? Buff, I don't get why this is bothering you so much."

"Because it's a waste of time. Come on, _someone_ has to agree with me- Spike?"

"As long as you're not pointing that thing at me. It seems like a fine way to keep the boy busy." The vampire replied.

"This isn't about keeping busy. This is about war. I'm sorry to jump all over you guys, but....I have to tell you what's really going on." Buffy stepped to be in clear view of everyone in the kitchen.

"You mean other than the fact that The First has yet to make a move in a while, still has plans with Spike, wants you all dead, and intends to bleed me like a pig so that the Hellmouth stays open and Hell can rule the Earth once more?" I popped off while rinsing out my bowl.

"There's something new." Buffy swallowed. "Amanda, Dawn, you're going to stay home from school today." She continued and Andrew slipped out of the kitchen right past her. "We can survive what's coming, but not like this. I had a vision....of what's to come. A horrible vision." And the Slayer began telling us about what had happened after she went through the portal from last night before she had to leave for work.

~

"I thought I told you to _piss off_ with that bloody camera." I heard Spike as I was going down the basement stairs. "And here you are again with that _thing_ in my face. Would you sod off before I rip your throat out and eat-"

"Oi, play nice." I cut the blond off, seeing Andrew filming Spike before he turned the camera in my direction. "The boy is still human."

"Oh! Perfect! Can I get an interview of you two?"

"N-"

"I'll give you a box of Twinkies a-and ten PB&J's."

"Yes."

"What?"

"Sit down, Spike- it's time for an interview."

"Oh, bloody Hell." The vampire rolled his eyes as I made him take a seat on the edge of the cot.

"This is Aud and Spike- interview Number 1 for ' _Buffy, a Slayer of the Vampires'_." Andrew had the camera facing himself before he set it onto the edge of the table towards us and pulled up a chair. He then pulled out a pen and notepad from inside his jacket while I got comfortable on the cot. "So, I understand it that you and Aud were separated for a while before getting back together. Want to tell me why you two parted to begin with?" I immediately regretted agreeing to this.

"Um, what kind of-"

"I just think people would be interested." Andrew took the pen's cap off and stuck it on the other end, crossing his legs while setting the notepad onto his lap. "Was it _really_ bad enough for you two to split?"

"Looking back on it, I'd say yes." Spike actually answered.

"Do you think it was the right thing to do? What was so awful that you two did such a thing?"

"Aud had every right to end things between her and I." The vampire rested his elbows onto his knees while clasping his hands together. "I was, uh, evil by nature, ya know, since I didn't have a soul an' all. Our relationship was rather....rocky to be honest, but the main issues were her ignorance and my own not-so-good impulses."

"Interesting." Andrew scribbled something down. "Would you like to explain that further?"

"....I didn't know what love was." I spoke up. "I didn't know attraction or any of that until I met Spike. Up until a certain point, I would cringe at just seeing people showing affection for one another. It was all strange to me, foreign even, and I didn't even know how I felt whenever I was with Spike. I thought I was sick or something, honestly."

"And a soul isn't just a moral compass, it's a way of understanding, a different view on things, and much more. It's complex and messy, and without it I was just a demon trying to understand things I simply couldn't." The vampire shook his head. "I tried though, I really did, but even if I was helpin' the Scoobies or whatever, I wasn't good, just _doing_ good."

"However, something seemed to change after we had a big fight because the next thing I know, blondie here is missing for months and turns up bonkers in the school basement."

"Yeah, well, my soul couldn't quite handle the things I've done, love."

"I think we're getting somewhere here." The human mumbled. "So, Spike, you just went out and got your soul back?"

"He nearly _died_ getting it." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"But I _didn't_. I won, got my soul, and suffered for it for a good while."

"And you two love each other?"

"Of course." Spike gave Andrew a look. "I mean, I love Aud with all my bleeding heart. A bloke isn't going to just go to the other end of the world to risk everything for a school-boy crush."

"And Aud, do you love him?" The human tilted his head at me.

"I went through a lot to realize it, but yes, I love him." I felt my cheeks flush as I averted my gaze. "Dumb moments and all."

"Dumb moments?" The bleached blond rose a brow at me.

"You tackled Pops when you thought he was The First, knowing fully well that The First isn't corporeal."

"....You got me there."

"You know, we didn't really get along at first to be honest. Even after he got to roam around freely, we bickered like children over the stupidest things and called each other ridiculous names."

"Still do."

"Well, you are a bloodsucker and you _do_ get blood breath."

"And you _are_ short. I mean, be any shorter and no one would be able to see you- Ow!" I popped him on the back of his head, and he started chuckling while rubbing where I had hit. "Oh, does someone have a _little_ complex?"

"No."

"Right."

"Cracker thief."

"Oh, my- I thought you were over that now."

"I am." I grinned. "It's just funny how you roll your eyes whenever I mention it."

"Spike, how do you feel knowing that Aud very well may be the most powerful person in this house right now? I mean, she's one strong cookie- imagine if she were a full-blooded demon." Andrew leaned forward a bit and our attention went back to him.

"That doesn't really bother me. Her power wasn't really one of the things I was drawn to to begin with. She's unique- and I don't mean that because of what she is, I mean that because I've never met another person like her. She's strong-willed and sticks to what she thinks is right. Not only that, she's incredibly smart and absolutely ridiculous at the same time. Aud's like the moon- she's not blindingly bright like the sun, and she's gentle and always there even if you don't notice. She can pull you like the waves without you even realizing and when you actually look at her- _really_ look at her- she's beautiful in every way, and it's too late to realize you're already under her sway. And if she were a full demon, I doubt any of that would change."

"You big sap." I popped off while my ears were hot and I was blushing. "I'm glad I didn't fall for the whole ' _prince on a white stallion_ ' shtick when a vampire in a black leather duster is so much better."

~

"Okay, I think we're getting a little bit off track here." Willow said while holding the glowing rock in front of Andrew's face. Buffy had come home from work with Robin trailing behind her and devised a plan to get some more info out of Andrew about the seal in the school's basement. Things were escalating at the school and the seal needed to be closed permanently somehow.

"I don't want to do this anymore. Everyone's staring at me." Andrew made a face while uncomfortably shifting in the chair he sat in.

"Just focus on the charm. You have to focus on the charm to pull the memories out." The witch continued to hold the glowing rock in front of the male's face.

"Tell us about the seal." Robin had his hand on his chin while his other arm was crossed underneath.

"But it tickles and I'm all tense. Can't I have a cool, refreshing Zima?"

"No Zima." Buffy declared.

"Shut your face about the Zima and just talk." Spike popped off.

"You were the first one to uncover the seal and feed it blood. How'd you know it was there? How'd you know what to do?" The Slayer was sitting in front of Andrew and he looked at her.

"I-I-I don't know. Stuff happened. I forget."

"So remember." Kennedy crossed her arms. "Look at the charm."

"But I'm not a part of this. I document, I don't participate. I'm the attached journalist, recording with a neutral eye."

"Andrew! Stop it, or I'm going to smash this camera over your head." Buffy raised the device in her hand while having a warning tone. "....Actually, I'm gonna do that anyways, so you might as well talk."

"And stop going off topic." Willow furrowed her brows at the male in front of her.

"I wasn't off topic. It's gonna get relevant in a second, because Jonathan's gonna go to the bathroom." And he delved back into the story about when he and Jonathan were in Mexico. The First appeared to him in the form of Warren and he had instructed him to buy a specific knife. I deadpanned when Andrew described his imagined life as a god with the other two.

"Wait a second. Go back- what was that part again?"

"You mean this part? _~We are as gods~_ "

"Not that part. We need to see that knife." The redhead lowered the rock as she sat onto the new coffee table. "There's something there."

"Kennedy, search his stuff. Find the knife." Buffy turned to the potential.

"It's not in my stuff." Andrew stated. "It's in the kitchen in the cutlery drawer." Everyone just looked at him and he nervously smiled. "You didn't have any steak knives."

"You put your old murder weapon in with our 'utensils'?"

"I washed it." He replied with a weak voice.

"That's it. I'm biting him." Grabbing the front of Andrew's shirt, he squealed like a pig and Buffy rolled her eyes while pulling me back by my arm.

"Not yet, Aud."

"What are you looking for?"

"He said The First said something about words. _'Drive the words deep into him._ '"

"There was some....carving on the blade. I just thought it was a pattern."

"Found it." Kennedy returned and handed the knife to Willow.

"Okay, you're Mr. Demon-Summoner. How are you with demon languages?" The redhead then gave the knife to Andrew.

"Whoa, you were right. It's in Towarick. It's, uh....like, proto-Towarick. It's really, really old." Andrew said after looking at the knife.

"But what's the big?" Kennedy questioned.

"We've never known anything about this seal. Now we know that 'this' knife and it's language are connected to it somehow." The principal crossed his arms.

"Andrew, do you speak Towarick?"

"Yeah, I'm okay with it. It says...." His gaze went down to the knife and he swallowed. " _'The blood which I spill I consecrate to the oldest evil'_."

"Creepy."

"Wil, what are you thinking?" Buffy asked as Willow took back the knife. "You think you can do something with that?"

"Yeah. Let me work on it."

"Why does everything have to be blood." I sighed while putting my hands onto my hips.

"It's the source of life, pet. Why you think we feed off it?"

"Nutritional value, I was hoping. Like mosquitoes or Desmodontinae." I tilted my head and Spike gave me a look.

"Okay, a what now?" Buffy looked at me with confusion.

"Vampire bats." Willow clarified for me while waving her hand.

~

"Guess what, Andy- you just won yourself a free vacation to the beautiful downtown Hellmouth." Buffy popped off while coming back into the living room with Willow.

"So he can do what? Yell at it in its own language?" Spike asked.

"Maybe." Willow nodded.

"What? I-I'm not following." Robin glanced from Buffy to Andrew and back.

"Look, we have to deal with this seal right away. We already might have to just shut the school down, and I am not losing any more territory to The First. Besides, it's the only thing we've got."

"The seal responds to this language somehow, or-or The First wouldn't have needed the knife." Willow waved her hand. "Andrew knows the language, can talk to it, maybe give it commands."

"Come on. Robin, Aud, Spike, let's go." Buffy gestured with her head and we all went to the school.

Barrels full of things on fire lit the halls while graffiti covered the walls and floor. The place was a mess with broken lockers and things strewn about, and I could hear distant shouting.

"The riot that almost happened." The Slayer sighed.

"Looks to me like it happened after all." Robin stated.

"And it's still happening." I said just before something made of glass crashed against a wall.

"Nice way to run a school." Spike popped off as we went down a hall towards the basement door. "There's gotta be kids injured in here."

"Yeah. Easy-pickin's for the likes of you, huh?" Robin stepped over some trash while being only a step behind the vampire.

"Hey, here to help, you know."

"Right."

"You don't sound very convinced, Principal Wood." Going around a fire barrel, I didn't even look at the human male. "Though, we can discuss doubts among the ranks at another time, right now isn't a really good considering the state of things."

"These kids went nuts, didn't they?"

"No kidding-"

"Shh! They'll hear you." Buffy sent a look over her shoulder.

"Buffy, they're all the way down-" And the principal was cut off as a fire hydrant was swung right into his face.

"Here." I raised my brows as some students came from around the corner and took off with Buffy when she wasn't paying attention.

"The kids are getting stronger!" Spike called out while getting into a fight with a few seniors. I retained human form while punching one kid right in the nose, knocking him out as he went down.

"Spike! Don't kill them, they're just students." Buffy raised her voice.

"They'll live." The vampire replied before knocking out the one he had against the wall with a right hook. Making a break for it when we could, we made our way to the basement door, seeing kids running at the end of the halls while toilet paper was strewn about like streamers.

"Okay, Spike, Wood, Aud, I need you guys to stay here, hold our line of retreat." Buffy turned while standing in front of the door.

"So I'll stay here with these men and Aud, helping out that holding the line thing." Andrew was holding his camera and nervously smiling until he saw the look Buffy was giving him. "I'll be with Buffy." He sighed before they both went through the door and I turned to face the two men.

"How'd they make this in here, you suppose?" Spike questioned while picking up a wooden plank with nails in one end. He tossed it to Robin to have a look at it.

"Wood shop, I guess. It's nice to know they're paying attention in class." The principal rose his brows just before I swung my arm out and close-lined some kid I had heard running towards us. More were right behind him and one tackled Spike to the ground.

"Oh, not you too, Claire." I slumped my shoulders at the blond girl coming right at me. "You were such a sweetie." And I decked her while she was drawing back a fist to hit me.


	88. Give him the word that I'm not a rover

With my tail wrapped around a vampire's throat, I ran up the side of a building before flipping and grabbing his head in a face-lock and doing a cutter. While he was squirming and groaning on the ground, I staked him and moved on to the next vampire.

"Spike!" Buffy shouted and I looked over quickly to make sure he didn't need help. Thankfully, he didn't, but Robin definitely did and Spike was the nearest one to assist. Turning back to my opponent, I jumped and tornado kicked him right in the face. Tossing the stake up into the air, I caught it with my tail and drove it into the vampire's chest.

"Gotta love a good night's work." I sighed, leaning backwards with my hands on my lower back to pop my spine.

"Where'd you learn to fight?" Robin questioned, looking right at me and the piles of dust at my feet. "Pretty sure I saw some wrestling and taekwondo right there."

"Watcher's Council. They trained me in as many fighting styles as they could. They never really intended on letting me loose, but should the need arise-"

"They wanted to be prepared."

"Exactly." I nodded.

~

"Here to report the situation is still normal." I spoke up while swinging into Principal Wood's office. "Well....as normal as a school like this can get."

"So it appears." Robin turned away from the window he was looking out of and crossed his arms.

"Well, no fires, no one's exploding, and the swing choir and the marching band are back to their normal, healthy, seething resentment."

"Yeah, it's been pretty quiet around here since Buffy shut down that seal." He stepped closer while sliding his hands into his pockets.

"Hopefully things are fine now. At least, here, anyways."

"Everything's terrible! Total catastrophe!" The man that pretty much swooped into the office looked utterly distraught.

"Pops, what's wrong?"

"Have you _seen_ the new library?! The-there-there's nothing but _computers_. Not a book to be seen. I-I don't know where to begin, Aud. I-I mean- Who do-who do we speak to?" I smiled and chuckled at the old man while pointing to Robin.

"Uh, that would....that would be me." The principal turned and held out a hand towards Pops. "Hi, I'm Robin Wood."

"Oh! Ah, sorry, yes. Uh, Rupert Giles. Sorry." Pops shook the man's hand. "Aud tells me you're somewhat of a-a freelance demon fighter." Robin quickly shut his office door. "Oh, yes, yes. I, um, am 'relieved'. We're running dangerously low on allies."

"So what's with the sudden drop by?" I questioned as Robin went to take a seat at his desk.

"The seers at the coven are certain The First is continuing to gather its forces. I'm afraid....war is inevitable." Pops sighed. "So, we should go before the school board."

"What?" Robin looked utterly confused, but I knew what Pops was talking about.

"Well, I can have my back-up library sent from home in the meantime. It's not much but-"

"Pops." I chuckled.

"Knowledge comes from _crafted_ binding and pages, Aud, not ones and zeros. I taught you that."

"You did. Bring back any potentials?"

"Um, well, no. Actually, my trip is about something else. It's, um, regarding Spike." Pops took off his glasses to clean the lenses and I furrowed my brows.

"What about him?"

"I _told_ you my concerns about when Buffy recklessly chose to remove his chip."

"Wait, sorry. Chip?" Robin looked confused again.

"It's a long story." Giles waved his hand.

"The military put a chip in Spike's head so that he couldn't hurt people. Humans, anyway."

"That was the abridged version." Pops rolled his eyes.

"But he wouldn't hurt anyone any more because he has a soul now."

"Unless The First triggers him again." He placed a hand onto Wood's desk while his other hand went onto his hip.

"Triggers the chip?"

"No, the trigger is a post-hypnotic thing The First put in his head. It was.... It made him kill again." I answered.

"So he has a soul, a trigger, and a chip?" Robin gestured with his finger.

"Not anymore." Pops had a tone while giving me a look and I felt my face twitch into a snarl.

"It was killing him!"

"Don't you bare your teeth at me, young lady." Pops raised his brows. "You may be an adult, but I'm still your father."

"The trigger was killing him?"

"No, the chip was."

"Because the military gave him a soul?" Robin looked so lost and raised his hands defensively when Pops and I gave him matching looks. "Sorry."

"Look, we don't know if the trigger is inactive." Pops waved a hand while pacing. "What I brought back may help us to disarm it, and to ascertain exactly what it is that causes Spike's behavior."

"It was that song, Pops. I'm telling you, it was that song that Spike was singing."

"He has no memory of it. Is there a part of it that you remember?"

"It was something about a maiden, which isn't much to go on with old English songs." I crossed my arms.

"This thing you brought to keep Spike from killing again....how's it work?" Robin questioned.

"Well, it will require a bit of magic."

~

"Oh, we couldn't have put these chains back up a week ago." Xander popped off while tightening the locks around Spike's wrists. "No, we gotta work on Spike now of all times."

"What?" The vampire looked to the human.

"Nothing." Xander scoffed and pat Spikes shoulder.

"I'd rather not be reminded of that, thank you." I sighed. "It was hard enough to get the smell out."

"Smell? What sme- Oh, my god, I forgot." Xander covered his mouth while looking shocked.

"Just....never again, please." I wasn't going to say what I was talking about, Xander knew. The main reason I wasn't going to gripe further was because of Dawn standing a few feet away and I wasn't going to be the one to verbalize how Xander and Anya had had sex down here last week.

"What are you doin' here?" Spike's attention was on Robin as he stood with his arms crossed beside me. "Came to see the show?"

"Thought you might need support." I glanced at the principal, my brows furrowing as his heart declared he was lying.

"Uh-huh, right. Let's get this over with. So what are you gonna do? Some hypno-beam? A disarming spell?" Spike asked.

"Not exactly." Pops pulled a small box from his pocket while stepping forward. "The First has brain washed you. There's something in your subconscious that it's using to provoke a violent reaction." He took off his glasses and put them away and opened the box. "So....we're going to put this into your brain." Pops held up a hunk of shiny rock.

"....Bugger that." The bleached blond raised his eyebrows high on his forehead while looking at Pops like he was insane.

"The Prokaryote Stone will move within your mind to reveal the root of the trigger's power. It can unleash ideas, images, memories. _Hopefully_ , once you understand what it is that is....setting you off, you'll break it's hold on you."

"Hopefully?" I looked at Pops.

"So it might not work?" Dawn asked.

"The stone is just a catalyst for the process. The rest is up to Spike."

"And how do you expect to get that hunk of rubble in my cranium?"

"Willow."

"'Kay." The redhead came over with an opened book. "Just hope my pronunciation is in the ballpark." And she began to read the spell out loud while standing in front of Spike and Pops. The stone sort of liquefied, but kept a form similar to a slug as it wriggled around.

"Oh, you have got to be joking! What now?" Spike eyed the thing.

"It has to access the cerebral cortex via the optic nerve."

"Oh, bollocks. All the rubbish people keep sticking in my head, it's a wonder there's room for my brain." The vampire made a face while looking from the rock to Pops and back.

"I don't think it takes up that much space, do you?" Pops held the box near Spike's face, letting the slug-y rock crawl up his cheek and into his eye, making me visibly cringe.

"Ow! Ow, ow!" The blond put pressure on his eye with his fist while clenching his jaw.

"Spike! Are you all right?" I gently touched his shoulder while sitting next to him on the cot and he lowered his hand.

"How do I know if this bug-ugly's doing its jo-...." He trailed off while looking up and made a face.

"....Does that mean its working or what?" I threw my gaze to Pops and he only gave me a short nod. It was absolutely silent for a good minute while Spike had a glazed look in his eyes.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, his face shifted and he bared his fangs while grabbing me by the throat and throwing me onto the ground. He roared, lunging at the others until the chains holding him went taut, making him turn and fling the cot across the basement. Dawn yelped before getting knocked down and the vampire was fighting against his binds.

"Dawn!" Willow shouted, going to the girl's side as the humans backed away. Getting to my feet, I waved my hand to the others.

"Get Dawn upstairs and seen to, she's bleeding and he can smell it!" I spoke with urgency, knowing what Spike could do when feral and hungry. The room upstairs still had a gaping hole in it's wall that was only blocked off by a dresser. "Spike, look at me. Don't pay them any mind, just look at me." Raising my hands while carefully taking a step towards the snarling vampire, he was clearly beyond words and I let my hair turn to flames, catching his full attention. I could hear Willow and the others ushering Dawn upstairs, but Pops remained where he stood.

"That's it, just keep your eyes on me." I spoke lowly, and I was thankful that even the crazed demon knew to keep an eye on potential danger. Fire was no friend to vampires and that seemed to at least be retained even in his feral state. The seconds that passed felt like eternity until Spike reared back in pain and the rock-slug came out through his eye and solidified as it fell to the ground, the blond's face shifted back to looking human right after.

Sighing with relief, I let the flames go out at scratched the back of my head.

"Well, that was a ride." I popped off. Going to fix the cot, Spike started arguing with Buffy about taking the chains off.

"Get these sodding things off me. I'm _fine_." The bleached blond said while I rolled up the blue sheets that had been on the cot.

"Don't you think you should take a little time?" Buffy asked. "Calm down?"

"I am calm." I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Spike's tense posture as he was crouched against the wall and slowly balled his hands into fists.

"Sure you are." I popped off.

"Shut it, shortstack. This stone of yours is out, right? Did its job, so I'm de-triggered, right?" Spike gestured to his head as Pops looked at him.

"Spike, what do you remember about the song?"

"Oh, yeah, the song." The vampire scoffed while raising his shoulders and glancing away. "It's called, uh, _Early One Morning_ , old folk ditty."

"What's it mean to you?" Robin questioned, leaning on a support beam with his arms crossed.

"Mean? Nothing. It's just, uh, my mum. It was her favorite. She used to sing it to me....when I was a baby." Spike shifted while making a face and Pops looked to me as if for confirmation.

"Oh, he's telling the truth. May not really have a heartbeat, but you can tell when he's uncomfortable about a subject."

"I'm not uncomfortable."

"Yes you are. Not once have you mentioned your mother until now and you are 'clearly' uncomfortable."

"Why are you uncomfortable, Spike?" Pops raised his brows while putting his fists onto his hips.

"Shouldn't you check on Dawnie? I clocked the niblet pretty fierce." Spike's tone raised in pitch as he pointed upstairs.

"She'll be okay. She's tough." Buffy half shrugged.

"Spike, you listen to me. What-what is it about your mother?" Giles stepped towards the bleached blond.

"I don't know. I got along fine with her, she was a nice lady."

"Well, there 'has' to be more than that." Pops insisted.

"Well, there bloody well isn't!" Spike shouted.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to unchain him." Buffy looked at Pops, stopping after taking a few steps towards the vampire. The older male's jaw clenched and he grabbed Buffy to pull her to the side. I ignored their quiet argument and went over to Spike and crouched in front of him.

"William....this is serious. You _need_ to be _completely_ honest about this. The First having this kind of power over you puts us all in danger."

"I know." The blond ran a hand through his hair. "I'm trying, okay? But there was nothing-" He just stopped taking, freezing with his hand up and getting that glazed look in his eyes again.

Pops, Buffy, and Robin were all still huddled and talking in hushed tones when Spike seemed to come back to Earth a little bit later.

"You good? Do I need to back up?"

"....I'm fine." He replied, and there was full clarity in those blue eyes of his.

"I'll take your word for it." I sighed, glancing over my shoulder at the the trio still arguing, er, ' _talking_ '. Looking back at the vampire, I undid the shackles and Spike gave me a look.

"When did you-"

"I swiped the key when Pops grabbed Buffy. From the sound of it, they'll be there a while, so come on." I gestured with my head to Spike and we silently walked to the stairs, the humans too lost in their own world and completely unaware of us walking right by them. Well, mostly. Buffy looked right at us when we got to the stairs and I just put my finger to my lips while smiling.

She got the hint and said nothing to the other two about the vampire going upstairs.

~

"I don't know, Giles. Is this really a primo time for a training session?" Buffy asked as we were walking through the graveyard.

"I'm still your teacher, Buffy. As adept as you are as a Slayer, there are always new things to learn. Now more than ever it's crucial to maintain focus on your calling." Pops replied.

"Then why am I here?"

"Because you two fighting together is like a bloody force of nature. However, we need to further your synchronization so you two aren't running into each other in the middle of a critical fight."

"We haven't really had that problem, honestly." Buffy raised her brows.

"....Except that time you kicked a demon into a wall with me still on it's back."

"Okay, there was that, yeah."

"But on another note, I'm not sure how I feel about having Spike at Robin's house. I mean....I get it's to watch him, but...."

"She means if anything were actually happen, Robin would definitely become a vamp snack." Buffy looked at Pops.

"For what it's worth, everyone in your house seemed rather....relieved with the arrangement. Uh, Buffy, while I'm not technically your watcher any more....the fact that our life is such chaos only underscores the importance of the-of the lessons I can impart to you."

"Fine. Impart away." The Slayer leaned on a tombstone casually.

"We're on the verge of war. It's time you looked at the big picture. Both of you."

"Hello! All I do is look at the big picture." Buffy scoffed. "The other day, I gave an inspirational speech to the telephone repair man."

"It takes more than rousing speeches to lead, Buffy. If you're going to be a general, you need to make difficult decisions regardless of cost. And Aud, you must be willing to do the same. I don't like to say this because of what it entails, but you an-and Buffy are our strongest and we need you both to not be lead astray or-or blinded to the hard choices that must be made." Pops glanced to the ground while adjusting his glasses.

"Have you _seen_ me with those girls?" Buffy made a face while standing. "The way I-I've treated my-my friends and my family and Andrew? Believe me, I know how to make hard decisions."

"That's what we're here to find out. While we work on the basics." Pops looked to a grave as a fist broke through the earth. Buffy produced a stake from her pocket and pulled the vampire out of the dirt the rest of the way. Flipping him over her shoulder, she straddled him with the stake ready to kill.

"Don't kill him yet." Pops took a few steps closer.

"What? Why not?"

"Because I'm asking you not to." Buffy looked confused before getting thrown back by the vampire. Wrapping my tail around his neck, I got him back on the ground and sat on his chest, using leverage and brute strength to keep him pinning. "No, Aud, you can't just hold him down until I say you can kill him."

"Then what in the Hell do you want?"

"Fight."

"Oh, my-" I rolled my eyes before pushing myself up and flipping out of the vampire's range.

"Would you let this vampire live if it would save the world?" Pops asked.

"Sure. Seems like a nice enough guy." Buffy popped off.

"Thanks." The vampire smiled.

"No problem."

"My name's Richard."

"Hi, Rich." Buffy smiled before striking the vampire with the back of her fist to continue the fight. He spun around towards me and I dropped low to kick his legs out from under him. "Giles, we had this conversation when I told you I wouldn't sacrifice Dawn to stop Glory from destroying the world.

"Ah, yes, but things are different now, aren't they?" Pops crossed his arms and I elbowed the vampire in the gut when he got back to his feet. "After what you've been through. Faced with the same choice now- you'd let her die."

"If I had to." Buffy said rather grimly. "To save the world. Yes." Blocking the Vampire's fist, I struck with a flat palm to his sternum and sent him flying back a few feet.

"Aud, Buffy, switch out."

"Can't we just kill this guy now?" Buffy asked while spinning on her heel to go back to fighting while I took a step back.

"No. So you really do understand the difficult decisions you'll have to make? That any one of us is expendable in this war?"

"Have you heard my speeches?" The Slayer popped off before blocking.

"That we cannot allow any threat that would jeopardize our chances of winning?"

"You always told me the good of the many outweigh the good of the few, Pops." I pointed out and the man nodded.

"Switch." Buffy flipped back and I pounced onto the vampire's back, growling and getting him into a headlock as my tail curled around his waist along with my legs as I started to slowly crush him. Of course- not enough to kill. Yet. "So, if there were 'any' threat to us winning this war, you'd eliminate it if possible?"

"Duh." I popped off, jerking back to use my weight and momentum to flip the vampire.

"And yet there is Spike." I looked at Pops, not expecting to hear what he had said and what it implied.

"Ow!" The vampire elbowed me in the nose, breaking free of my hold and twisting around to grab me by the throat.

"Spike's a liability, Aud. He refuses to see it, and so do you. Buffy knows, but she does nothing out of consideration for you. Angel left here because he realized how harmful his relationship with Buffy was. Spike, on the other hand, lacks such self-awareness." Pops walked in a circle around the vampire and I scuffling on the ground, and I flipped our positions after yanking his hands away from my neck.

"We need him." Buffy said lowly while I was punching the man beneath me in the face repeatedly.

"There's only three real fighters in this with Willow still recovering." I added between punches.

"You want Spike here even after what he's done in the past?"

"It's different now, he has a soul." Grunting, I grabbed the vampire by the front of his suit and threw him into a tombstone.

"And....The First is exploiting that to his advantage." And then it clicked.

"Oh, my God. You're...." Buffy trailed off and I slowly turned towards my father.

"It's time to stop _playing_ the role of a warrior, and start _being_ one, Aud." His face was extremely serious and his heartbeat was only a little faster than usual. "This is the way wars are won." He spoke with conviction and I shot my hand out to grab the vampire by his face. I clearly heard the sound of my boots ripping as my feet turned to paws and I was in my full demonic form while staring unblinking right at Pops.

"What. Did. You. Do?" My voice was more of a growl as my chest vibrated, and I only needed to see the look on his face to know what I had assumed was true. Snarling, I crushed the squirming vampire's skull in my grip and bolted, ignoring the shouting voices calling after me. _'Robin,'_ I mentally growled. _'that fucking bastard! I swear to all that is unholy that I'll kill him if-'_ And I didn't even allow myself to finish that thought.

My claws dug into the cold earth as I ran as fast as my legs would allow, kicking up chunks of dirt and grass in my wake. I only knew where Robin lived because I had asked out of curiosity for where Spike was going, and I was thankful to my past self for doing so.

Skidding to a halt as I nearly ran into someone leaving a blue doored garage, I felt relief.

"Spike!" I did a quick once over, seeing the cuts and bruises on him. "What happened?" Balling my hands into fists, I tried to suppress the growl growing in my chest again. The bleached blond sighed, pushing open the wooden door behind him to show Principal Wood slouching on the floor against a wall absolutely covered by crosses. He was in much worse shape than Spike, but I didn't care.

"I gave him a pass."

"Well, I'm not." I snarled, taking a step towards the open door.

"Aud, don't. I let him live....on account of the fact that I killed his mother." He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back. "But that's all he gets." Spike's gaze drifted over my shoulder to Buffy panting behind me, tired from running all the way here from the cemetery. "He even so much as looks at me funny again, I'll kill him. Come on, Aud." The blond took my hand and walked away from the garage, leading me as far from Robin as possible so that Buffy could deal to him how she saw fit.

"....Did he really think he could take you on? He's only human, and you've managed to take on two _Slayers_."

"Just don't worry about it, pet. Look on the bright side, though- I'm trigger-free." Spike smirked at me before his eyes drifted down. "You might want to turn back unless you want to scare anybody peekin' out their windows. Where are your shoes?" Rubbing the back of my head, I turned my gaze to the ground.

"I, uh, kinda transformed while still wearing them, so, um....I have no shoes."

~

"Aud." I looked up to see Pops stepping into the kitchen as I was finishing up putting things away after making my PB&J's. "I....I-I understand your anger. Please believe me, we did what we-"

"Spike's still alive. Wood failed." I said lowly, turning my attention back to putting the jelly into the fridge.

"Well, that doesn't change anything. What I told you is still true. You need to learn-"

"No." I cut him off, nearly slamming the refrigerator door shut. "You....you _betrayed_ me. You're the one person in this _entire_ world that I was to be able to trust so wholeheartedly, and you...." My jaw clenched as I shook my head. "You saved my life. You taught me the love I had forgotten and replaced with hate, you raised me as if I were your own, thought nothing of the fact that I had evil coursing through my veins and fought the Council to keep me alive. You did all of this and even more and then you do _this_ to me? You conspired behind my back with a man you had just only met to kill the only other person I love?"

Pops didn't say a word as he stood in the doorway just looking at me.

"You looked me dead in the eye tonight and told me you thought it was better if Spike were dead with a steady heart. You manipulated my trust in you to get me away long enough for Robin to do the deed, and to top it all off, you _still_ insist on your actions being right."

"Because they are, Aud. We-"

"Izmennik." I gave a warning growl while speaking in Russian, and he knew just how deeply he hurt me when I called him a traitor in my native tongue. Grabbing my food and drink, I walked right past him and down into the basement.


	89. Then tell him that his lonesome nights are over

Running through the cemetery, I was trying to find Spike after he had run off to catch a vampire that had escaped while we were exterminating a nest on patrol. Leaping over a tombstone like it was a hurdle rather than going around it saved me some time, and I was finding a little relief in the chase. The potentials had tonight off from training, so Buffy, Spike, and I were out on patrol while the girls were having a much needed break.

Hearing the distinct sound of punching, I jumped onto a cross and propelled myself off of it to get more air. Looking down, I saw some brunette knocking Spike to the ground.

"My turn!" I crashed right into the female, sending us both to the ground while trying to get the upper hand on the other. In the end, I had the advantage and got her in a headlock while still on the ground, trapping one of her hands with my tail and pinning her legs down with my own hooked over her thighs.

"Aud! Wrong bird!" Spike called while getting to his feet before checking his busted lip.

"Wha- You're a human." I let the confusion show on my face as I finally paid attention to the woman's scent.

"Aud, let Faith go." Buffy came walking up, seeming amused by what she saw.

"Faith?" Looking down at the grunting and struggling brunette, my face then lit up with recognition. "Oh! Faith!" Quickly letting her go, she scrambled to her feet and eyed us.

"You're fighting with demons? Are you the bad Slayer now? Am I the good Slayer now?" Faith pointed at herself while furrowing her brows.

"They're with me. He has a soul and Aud's....Aud."

"Wait, like Angel?" The other Slayer pointed at Spike.

"No." The vampire said quickly.

"Sort of."

"I'm _nothing_ like Angel."

"He fight's on my side. Which is more than I can say for some of us." Buffy crossed her arms.

"Yeah, well, if he's so good, what's he doing chasing down defenseless-" Faith was cut off as she was tackled by a vampire.

"That's one of the bad guys."

"Should make 'em wear a sign." The brunette jumped to her feet and kicked the blonde undead in the face. Standing on the other side of Buffy, we just watched Faith and the female vampire fight it out until the brunette took the stake from Buffy's holster and finished the job.

"Angel's dull as a table lamp, and we have _very_ different coloring." Spike shifted on his feet.

"Okay. Catching up. And who exactly are you and how do you fit in?" Faith turned to me and I pointed.

"We met once briefly, I'm Giles's daughter."

"....You got to be shittin' me, Giles got it on with a demon? I guess he's not so-"

"I'm adopted. Still half human though, just....not actually his."

"And what the Hell are you? I gotta say, took me by surprise with how fast you had me pinned." Faith waved her hands while raising her eyebrows and looking me up and down.

"Ustrina Augendae- different dimension, yada-yada-ya, don't touch her food, and watch out for the fire breath, and you'll be fine." Buffy tilted her head.

"Anything else I need to know?"

"Nice to have you back."

~

"Woah, memory lane. Same old house." The brunette said as we walked into the house.

"Yeah, well, every piece of furniture in this house has been destroyed and replaced since you left, so new house." Buffy explained.

"Buffy?" I glanced over to see Dawn and Pops in the dining room.

"We got a new house guest."

"Hey. Got a spare bed for a wanted fugitive?" Faith questioned as Pops looked at me. I gave an aggressive huff, letting him know I still wasn't over what he had done as his gaze drifted to the other Slayer and I walked right past.

"Hello, Faith." Pops crossed his arms.

"I guess ' _wanted_ ' wasn't really accurate."

"That wasn't for you." Spike popped off, watching me go down the hall towards the kitchen.

~

"I'll take you not killing me as a good sign." Robin mumbled as he stood by my desk and the bell rang. He was mostly healed from his encounter while Spike, and I continued to scribble some notes down in a file.

"We need you in this fight." I replied lowly, not speaking loud enough for the other workers to hear. "Buffy wants you on our side."

"I can understand how you don't."

"Well, if there's at least an understanding, there's no room for a misconception. I'm not your friend, and probably never will be. However, I will keep my personal feelings separate from my professional life since you are still technically my boss."

"You're fired."

"What?!" My head jerked up as I looked at Robin.

"Effective immediately."

"Why in the Hell are you firing me?" Placing my hands onto my desk, I got to my feet, the backs of my knees sending my chair back.

"Aud, there's nothing here for you. I mean, people are already leaving town and half the kids don't even bother showing up anymore. You've got things to deal with that are worse than anything here- look at the big picture." He explained. "It's nothing personal, I've already had this conversation with Buffy. Most of those girls have never been in a real fight and are unprepared for the war that's coming. They need you there, training, sparring, fighting- giving these girls the skills you possess as much as you can."

My shoulders slumped as I took in a deep breath and let it go.

"I can't get angry when you make a valid point. Effective immediately, though?" I gave the principal a look and he closed his eyes while nodding.

"I didn't think you'd honestly do as well as you did here when I hired you, but....those girls need you more than the kids that aren't even here."

~

The house was rather rowdy with the girls all over the place when I got home, but I completely ignored them while making a beeline for the basement. Going down the stairs, I pulled my hair out of its braid and sighed while taking my jacket off when my feet hit the concrete floor. I barely acknowledged Faith leaning on the table while smoking as I tossed my jacket onto the back of a chair and kicked my shoes off.

Spike just raised his brow at me as I crawled onto the cot and dropped my head into his lap. His hair was messy and he was shirtless, so I assumed he had been a asleep not too long ago.

"What's the matter, pet? Aren't you home a bit early?"

"Principal Wood fired me." I sighed.

"Oh, well, you don't need to be workin' for that ponce anyhow." Spike ran his right hand through my hair while his left held a cigarette that he no doubt got from Faith.

"I think I'm seeing the real reason Giles wanted you dead." The brunette popped off while chuckling. "So, you two, huh? Guess the old man ain't too happy about that."

"Not really." The vampire replied as I lowly growled. There was a crash upstairs and I just closed my eyes.

"No more Starbucks for the wannabes, man. They've been spazzing for _hours_." Faith gestured while looking to the stairs.

"Yeah." Spike sighed. "Does get a bit much up there."

"They're good girls. Just green is all."

"So why aren't _you_ up there.... _imparting_?" The blond brought the cigarette to his lips to take a drag.

"That's Buffy's thing. Anyway, I just spent a good stretch locked away with a _mess_ of female types. Kinda had my fill." Faith made a face.

"Hm. But you waited until Angel needed you're help to bust out of jail."

"Three squares, nice weight room, a movie every third Sunday. Could've been worse." She half shrugged.

"What movie?"

"Last one was....Glitter." Faith replied and I snorted. "I guess it couldn't have been worse." She cringed.

"You had the power to walk away at any time. Nothing to stop you."

" _I_ stopped me. I got....dangerous for a while."

"You over it?" Spike asked while still petting my hair and the brunette pulled off her jacket.

"More or less." She smiled while stretching out her arms. "I pull for the good guys now."

"What's the less?"

"The usual stuff."

"Such as?"

"I was thinking of looking up the guy with the bullwhip."

"Indiana Jones?" I furrowed my brows and Faith just laughed.

"Oh, please don't tell me you two still haven't done anything." She chuckled.

"....What?"

"Love, she's talking about a kink thing."

"....Oh!"

"Yeah, it was a lo~ong incarceration."

"You could do better. The schoolgirl thing's old hat."

"It's all old hat, man. Every guy's got some whack fantasy. Scratch the surface of any granola-type dude- naughty nurses and horny cheerleaders." Faith waved her hand. "I figure, if you can't beat 'em-"

"Join 'em."

"Just don't forget who's on top." The brunette smiled.

"That, I would suspect, would be you."

"You got that right." She nodded. "....I've met you before, you know."

"Yeah, you made a great impression on my chin." Spike popped off.

"Not in the graveyard. Before that. I was kinda....wearing a different body." The Slayer gestured to herself while grinning.

"Pity."

"You seemed okay with it." She retorted and I deadpanned.

"The body swap. With Buffy." Spike shook his head while Faith inhaled from her cancer stick.

"She fill you in on that whole deal?"

"She told me it went down. Failed to mention who was drivin' her skin around."

"I may have said a few things."

"You could ride me at a gallop till my knees buckled, squeeze me till I pop like warm champagne. It's not the kind of thing a man forgets." The vampire seemed to be quoting her and my chest vibrated with a deep, low growl.

"Guess you shouldn't have mentioned that, made Aud jealous. Should I be worried?" Faith asked while raising her eyebrows.

"Why should I become jealous over words?" I questioned.

"The growling says otherwise."

"No, she's serious." Spike brought his cigarette to his lips again. "That growl is just a warning. Believe me, Aud's got no reason to be jealous of you when the things she does could kill a man. Well, if he were human, anyway." The vampire smirked and the brunette quirked up a brow.

"Are you serious? Now I'm intrigued." She blew some smoke from her mouth and I looked right at her.

"First time we had sex, we brought a building to it's foundation. Albeit, it was abandoned, but....didn't need a demolishing crew by the morning." I replied.

"Mad impressive." She nodded with a grin. "Oh, hey, B!" Faith turned, hearing boots on the floor.

"Well, it's nice to see you three getting along so well." Buffy crossed her arms while looking at us.

"Yeah. You just know all the cool demons."

"Yeah."

"Buffy, is that you?" Dawn yelled from upstairs.

"Down here." The blonde shouted back.

"Buffy, Willow just called from the hospital. The girl's awake." Buffy glanced at us and I sat up.

"I'll watch the girls, don't worry." I told her before sighing. "They could use a training session to get out all of that extra energy."

"Thanks, Aud." The blonde nodded to me before going back up the stairs.

"Good luck." Spike popped off.

"If it wasn't still daylight, I'd make you the punching dummy."

"And yet, the _sun_ is what saves me." He chuckled as I grabbed my shoes.

~

"We've got a new player in town. Dresses like a preacher. Calls himself Caleb. Looks like he's working for The First." Buffy was explaining to all of us as we crowded in the living room. "He's taunting us. Calling us out. Says he's got something of mine. Could be another girl- could be something else. Don't know, don't care. I'm tired of talking. I'm tired of training. He's got something of mine? Fine. I'm getting it back. And you guys are coming with me."

~

"We need to start arming the girls." Buffy told us as we were upstairs in her room to talk privately from the potentials. "I want them to be ready to move if we find him."

"We don't even know where we're going." Willow spoke up while furrowing her brows.

"That's why I figured we do a little recon first. You up for it?" Buffy turned to Faith.

"Put me where you want me."

"And you are _certain_ this is the best course of action?" Pops asked. "You-you don't even know what this man has of yours 'if' he in fact has anything."

"It could be a girl. A potential trying to get to us."

"Could be a stapler."

"I'm going in anyway." Buffy shifted on her feet.

"With the girls? Most of whom have yet to be in the field, let alone a life-or-death situation."

"Then it's time we test them. I'll just take the ones that have been here the longest. The rest can stay behind."

"Could be that's just what he wants you to do. The old bait-and-switch." Spike stated.

"He lures us away and then kills the girls we leave behind." Willow added.

"I know." Buffy said lowly. "That's why I need you to stay here with them. You're my most powerful weapon, Wil. I know you can keep them safe if 'anything' happens."

"An old man breezes into town and says he has something of yours.... Buffy, this thing has gotten _trap_ written all over it." Xander waved his hand.

"He won't be expecting a full attack, not this soon. That's why we have to move."

"We know _nothing_ about this man. We _cannot_ go into battle unprepared. We have to have more time." Pops rose his voice.

"Time is running out. The First is back to putting its plans into motion and we don't even know how much time is left." I crossed my arms while leaning on the wall behind me.

"And you're not going into battle. I need you to stay behind with the others." Buffy told Giles. "Help the girls who still _need_ a teacher."

~

"Now, remember, we're looking for killing blows only, people." Xander stated while handing a bludgeon to Rona that had some spikes on the end. "So chest, and throat if it's a vampire." He demonstrated on Molly while I was unlacing my shoes. "Stomach, chest, and face if it's a Bringer."

"What if it's something else?" Rona questioned.

"Could happen. Something otherworldly. And here's a handy rule: don't go for the flashy tentacles just because they're waving them about and trying to get attention. Go for the center. Brain, heart, eyes." Xander pointed to those spots on himself. "Everything's got eyes."

"Except the Bringers." Dawn popped off.

"Except the Bringers." The male nodded.

"I don't want there to be tentacles. I'm not good with squishy." Molly partly cringed while clutching onto a knife.

"I don't care if it's Godzilla. I want to get in this thing." Kennedy raised a polished sword.

"Godzilla is mostly Tokyo based, so he's probably a no-show." Andrew popped off.

"Besides, if Matthew Broderick can kill Godzilla, how tough is he?" Amanda asked while holding a mace.

"Xander!" The scrawny male whined.

"Matthew Broderick did not kill Godzilla. He killed a big, dumb lizard that was _not_ the real Godzilla." Xander waved his hand.

"You people are even crazier than her." Rona said while I was stuffing my socks into my shoes.

"Than who?"

"Buffy, man. I mean, taking us right into the bad guy's lair."

"Well, that's where, customarily speaking, you 'go' to find the bad guy." I raised my brows.

"And I don't think you came here to fight plaque." Xander shifted on his feet while putting his hands into his pockets.

"No, I came here for _protection._ " Rona tilted her head.

"Well, you signed on to fight with-"

"Look, I know, but....this plan is trouble. 'Kay, Buffy doesn't care how many of us she puts in danger-"

"Let me tell you something about Buffy." Xander waved his hand. "In fact, you should all listen to this."

"Uh, we kinda were." Kennedy made a face.

"I've been through more battles with Buffy than you all can ever imagine. She's stopped everything that's ever come up against her. She's laid down her life _literally_ to protect the people around her. This girl has died two times and she's still standing. You're scared? That's smart. You got questions? You should. But you doubt her motives, you think Buffy is all about the kill? Then you take the little bus to battel. I've seen her heart, and this time 'not' literally. And I'm telling you right now, she cares more about your lives then you will ever know. You gotta trust her." Xander glanced around the room. "She's earned it."

"....Damn. I never knew you were that cool." We all glanced over to see Faith and Buffy back from recon.

"Well, you always were a little slow." Buffy smirked.

"I get that now."

"All right, saddle up. Aud, you good on food?" The blonde asked me.

"I've got enough energy to take out an army."

"Perfect. Let's go."

~

"Okay. Set up a perimeter, guard the door." Buffy turned to face us as we stood outside a vineyard. "I don't want _anything_ getting in behind us. My team goes in first, we check it out. You guys are our safety net. If it's a trap, we give the signal, you guys come in guns a-blazing."

"So, what's the signal?" Xander questioned.

"I'm thinking lots and lots of yelling."

"Got it."

"Shall we?" Buffy turned and half of the girls followed her. Spike and I were also with her, and we all went down some stairs into the brick building. Down below were barrels upon barrels of was could be safely assumed as wine.

"What is this place?" Molly asked.

"Looks like an old vineyard." Buffy replied.

"An evil vineyard, huh?" Kennedy had her sword at the ready while looking around.

"Like Falcon Crest." Spike popped off.

"Stay alert you guys. The Bringers are here somewhere." The Slayer stated. "Just need to find out where. Aud?"

"All over." I sighed, my claws clicking on the hard floor just before the Bringers I smelled came flooding from where they were hiding. We all spread out to fight, and I had blood on my hands after clawing out a Bringer's throat already. With speed and accuracy, I killed a few more until they all suddenly backed off.

"Well, now!" I heard a man shout just before I cracked a Bringer's neck. "You girls are just burnin' with the righteousness, aren't you? Problem is, you think you're blazing like suns, but _really_ you're burnin' like matchsticks in the face of the darkness." A tall, brunette male walked into view, having a southern accent while dressed in a priest's garb while smiling. "You havin' fun? I hope my boys haven't worn you out. I need you fit for when I purify you."

"Save the sermon, padre. I heard you have something of mine." Buffy spoke up.

"Well, I do now." Caleb chuckled while waving his hand in a wide motion, gesturing to everyone there. "You like my little message, did you? You know, I ruined a perfectly good knife on that girl. Got her soiled blood all over the place. I may need to get a new truck. So you're the Slayer. **The** Slayer." He stood right in front of Buffy now. "The strongest, the fastest, the most aflame with that most precious invention of all mankind- the notion of goodness. Well....the Slayer must indeed be powerful."

He suddenly punched Buffy clear across the room until she hit a wall and fell to the ground.

"So, what else you got?" Caleb questioned and Spike ran at him only to get pushed down. The vampire jumped to his feet, kicking the psuedo-priest in the face before getting punched himself and thrown right into one of the giant barrels embedded into the wall. The smell of alcohol filled my nostrils as it flooded out, and the Bringers were back to fighting the girls in an instant.

Growling, I bolted towards Caleb and he simply grinned when he saw me. Pouncing with my teeth and claws bared like a tiger, my eyes went wide with shock when he just shot out his hand and caught me by the throat.

"Hello, Aud. Someone wants to see you pretty badly, so I'm not allowed to kill you. But that don't meant we can't have some quality time, now does it?" The man tightened his grip around my neck and I bared my teeth as my hair burst into flames. "Well, ain't that interestin'?" I was trying to pull myself free while kicking at him, but I found myself in a similar situation as I did with Glory. However, Caleb was _very_ much human, so I had no clue where this strength was coming from.

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to burn him, but he was faster and used his free hand to make me choke on my own flames. My eyes watered as smoke rose up from between his fingers and he clicked his tongue.

"We won't be havin' none of that now. How about you just sit this out for a while until you're needed?" My head was suddenly jerked in an unnatural direction and I could hear something crack as everything went black.

~

Coming to my senses, it felt like I was laying on my back and I could hear sniffling. The scents I was picking up were rather familiar, but it smelled nothing like the vineyard.

"Spike, we have to do it. We can't let The First get ahold of her. It got too close tonight, and if it gets any part of her we're all dead."

"I know." There was a growl in reply.

"Why did no one stop her?"

"We were all fighting, Giles. She knew the risks and took them." Forcing my eyes open, my vision was a little hazy, but it was dark where I was.

"How are we even supposed to do it?" There was more sniffling, and my brows furrowed with discomfort.

"Do what?" I grunted while sitting up. "Ugh, I feel like I slept on a rock." Putting my hand onto the back of my neck, I tilted my head to pop it.

"Oh, my God! Aud!" I was suddenly enveloped in a hug and I was totally confused.

"....Am I missing something? Wait, what happened with Caleb? Did we win?"

"....Aud, do you not remember?"

"Why are you guys crying? Pops, what the Hell is going on?" I pulled the man off of me and they all seemed relieved yet baffled with tears staining their cheeks.

"Caleb...." Buffy began, and I quirked up a brow to urge her to continue. "He broke your neck, Aud. We thought you were dead." I deadpanned.

"Did no one bother to check my pulse? I mean, I once had my brains on the concrete and then walked home, and you think a broken neck is what's gonna off me?"

"Well, that wasn't our main thought with your head twisted around, love." Spike sniffed, wiping the tears from his face with his palms.

"Well, at least now I know what that line means." I shrugged.

"What line?" Pops questioned.

"From the journal. It's repeated quite a lot through out it, apparently something the Ustrina often say. I thought it was like....a prayer or something, like- Jesus Christ, Amen, or whatever. Now I guess it was more of a warning or something."

"What is it?" Buffy stepped closer while furrowing her brows.

" _ **'Our blood is our strength, our heart our weakness.'**_ "


	90. Sandman, I'm so alone

Apparently, after I had gone down, some of the girls had ended up being killed and Caleb shoved his thumb into one of Xander's eyes, making him half blind. Many of the potentials that had survived were left bruised and broken, and the only ones I could heal were the two actual Slayers and Spike.

"You really put those things away for your size." Faith popped off, sitting on the island while eating some chips as she watched me make my PB&J's.

"The high metabolism and sweet tooth demand it." I replied, sticking the butter knife covered in jelly into my mouth to lick off the sweet spread. "Not to mention a PB&J sandwich is a gift from the gods."

"You know, you just don't seem like it."

"Like what?" I asked, licking off the knife with peanut butter now.

"Like a demon, for one thing. You act pretty human to me."

"Mm, think you can blame that on the Watchers." Screwing the lids back onto the jars, I went to put them away. "And the other?"

"Don't take it the wrong way, Aud, but you seem a little too ' _stiff_ ' to get down and dirty the way you say. You act a lot like Giles." I raised a brow at her and she popped a chip into her mouth. "I mean the posture, the attitude. Sure, you're a bit more relaxed, but...." The brunette shrugged.

"I assure you, I am not as lax as you think. I just have to watch myself more around these girls. It takes time to get used to the fact that if I wanted to, I could burn this entire house down and kill everyone in it with little to no effort. Of course, I wouldn't, but the girls still have fears. I will admit that the ones that have been here longer don't seem to have as big a problem with it anymore."

"Sounds like someone's tooting their own horn a bit. Sure, you're strong, but there's two Slayers-"

"How many seconds did it take me to subdue you? I've also sparred with Buffy and I know her strength, so what I said stands. I'm aware of the strength I possess." I stated, taking the knives to the sink. " _If_ I were to become evil, the only person here I'd have difficulty in killing would be Buffy simply because of her own skills, however she would inevitably lose due to the fact that I'm faster and not human like her."

"So you're saying she's at least stronger?"

"No, but many of the demon's Buffy has killed have had more brute strength than her so it doesn't really matter. It's speed, skill, and endurance. Even Buffy is aware of this, I know she is, and that's why they still have that edge of caution with me. It's also a reason Pops wanted Spike out of the picture even if he won't admit it."

"Because Spike used to be evil." Faith nodded slowly while digging into the bag of chips.

"And he doesn't want me to be influenced by it. I'm not even supposed to exist, but I do, and I must walk a fine line because of _what_ I am." Grabbing a sandwich, I then raised my brows. "And for the 'down and dirty' part, you have _no_ clue how I am in that department." Faith laughed.

"I can pretty well guess if you brought a _building_ down."

"Mm, true."

"So which one of you tops? Neither of you really seem like the submissive types." She smirked, biting into another chip as my cheeks turned pink.

"Um, well...." I cleared my throat. "We kinda.... It's not really 'take turns', it just varies."

"So you guys just switch out? Is he any good? Being 120-something years old, he's got to have at least picked up a few things." My cheeks darkened at her question. "Aw, look at you blushing. Have you never had some ' _girl talk_ ' before?"

"Not like this." I answered after swallowing some of my sandwich.

"You still gotta answer, though, man." Faith pointed at me with a chip.

"I only have what I've read and seen in media to compare him to and my own personal feelings, but in both cases....extremely."

"Oh, damn." The brunette chuckled again while looking at me. "You have _got_ to tell me more about Spike."

"....He's made a few mentions about collars, so I think he might be into that sort of thing. _Definitely_ into bondage. Though, I'm not complaining, I'm liking it. Oh, and spanking." Despite knowing the things that Faith had done, she was rather easy to talk to, even with intimate stuff I hadn't told anyone else about except....Tara. "One time when we were sparring, he did this move that took me by surprise and the next thing I know, I'm just bent over his knee and he's threatening to spank me if I don't concede. I took the challenge, and well, apparently I like getting spanked a _lot_ more than I thought and he was all for it."

"Has he asked you to dress up?"

"How do you mean?"

"Like, dress up as a schoolgirl, a nurse, or whatever."

"Oh, no." I shook my head. "He's more into chicks in spikes and leather. Women with power, I guess you could say." Rolling my eyes, I continued. "That was kind of a problem back before he got a soul."

"A problem how?" Faith was smirking while still eating chips.

"Let's just say that I had to beat him up a lot or put pressure on him to get info, and that just sort of got the dog on the scent."

"Well, it seems to have worked out fine in the end. Now you two are bangin' like kinky bunnies behind closed doors while giving each other moon eyes any other time."

"Hey, we don't- Kennedy!" I cut myself off while seeing the girl leaving the basement.

"Hey, shouldn't you be down in Hogwarts?" Faith asked.

"Probably." The potential shrugged.

"All right. Playing hooky. Score one for the boarding-school brat." Faith grinned while digging into the bag for a chip. "Anya's technique's probably not what you're used to."

"Do you think there are going to be questions about her sex life on the test?" Amanda questioned, also coming up from the basement. "Because I _really_ hope I don't have to study all that."

"Whenever she starts talking about getting sweaty with Xander, I just remind her I had him first. Shuts her right the Hell up." Faith waved a chip and I sighed.

"I'll go get her back on track." Grabbing my plate, I went down to the basement where Anya was lecturing the girls on the Turok Han and other nasties they were to be fighting eventually.

~

Rubbing the towel over my head to dry off my hair, I walking into the living room to see some of the girls just sitting around while Pops was digging through a desk drawer with Dawn and Andrew at his sides.

"It's just the fundamental lack of respect!" Andrew stomped his foot like a child.

"Shut up and pay attention." Pops told him while holding up a magnifying glass to some photos he was holding. "Dawn, what do you see?" He handed the glass and photos over to Dawn and I draped my towel over my shoulders while drying off my ear with one end.

"Find something?" I asked.

"On the back wall, a knothole."

"That's not a knothole." Dawn stated and I peeked over her shoulder.

"Theses the photos from the file you and Willow got from the police station?" I questioned.

"They are." Pops nodded. "Amanda, would you go down to the basement and get Spike?" One of the girls got up and did as she was asked.

"Maybe this'll help, if this does bring us closer to Caleb." Dawn lowered the pictures.

"Sounded like there was news." Faith came in while eating a Hot Pocket and Andrew gave her a dirty look.

"What's up, Rupert?" Spike came from around the corner with Amanda following behind him.

"Spike, I have a mission for you." Pops took the photos from the little Summers girl and I gave him a look.

"Oh, really? Cause sometimes our missions end up with you trying to kill me. Not fond of those." The vampire gave a fake smile.

"This is bona fide, with real ramifications. Take a look at this." Giles handed the pictures and magnifying glass to Spike.

"Looks like our boy's been here. You want me to go check it out?"

"I need someone who can take care of himself in case Caleb has left some souvenirs."

"I can go, too." I offered.

"Your hair's still wet, love. You'll get sick." Spike pulled my towel over my head and covered my face while walking towards the front door to grab his jacket from off the hook.

"I _don't_ get sick."

"Are we gonna get to the food-stealing issue soon?" Andrew pointedly looked at Faith as I uncovered my face.

"Take Andrew." Pops said.

"What?" The vampire and scrawny male both asked at the same time.

"Well, you are always saying you wanna get out of the house more." Dawn shrugged.

"Yeah, but-"

"There may be demons lurking about. He's a demon expert. He can help." Pops looked to Spike.

"Oh, please." The bleached blond wasn't convinced.

"He could bring his....pan-flute thing along." Giles just clearly wanted Andrew out of the house for a while and Spike rolled his eyes while going to leave. "Excellent. There you go." Pops grabbed Andrew by the back of his head and pushed him towards the front door.

"I don't know who I feel worse for- Andrew, or Spike?" I tilted my head while looking the way they had gone. "Scrawny, little man-child out in the wilderness of the world, or the vampire that has to deal with him." There was a quite pause before I shrugged and turned back. "Welp, I'm gonna be down in the basement reading. I still got a bit left of that journal and I wanna try and get as much of it done by the time I pass out as I can. Yell if you need me."

~

"What the Hell happened to you?" My brows furrowed as Buffy came limping towards me.

"I need a quick fix up before I go and smack Faith upside the head."

"Why, what happened?" I set down the journal in my hands and walked over to her to check what all was wrong.

"You don't know?"

"Been here reading."

"She took the girls to _The Bronze_."

"....With what's all going on? What if-"

"I know. That's why she got a smack." Buffy raised her brows as I bit my palm.

~

"Oh, God." Xander said as Anya and Willow helped him into the house.

"We didn't have time to do more. You have to pretend there's a big party here." Kennedy said before Dawn ran up to hug Xander.

"That's fine. Parties in this house, I usually end up having to rebuild something."

"All right, Dawnie, my turn." I said and threw my arms out when the girl moved. Being careful to not give him too hard of a hug, I felt better knowing he was here and out of the hospital.

"Welcome home, Xander." Buffy smiled, but it looked kind of....sad. "I wanted you to be here for this. I think you'll be interested in what I found out."

"What did you find out?" Willow asked.

"I-it's about the cellar. Look, I-I know that night wasn't fun for any of us. But I figured out some things about that place, and I realize now what we have to do." Buffy was nervously fidgeting with the ends of her sleeves as Xander took a seat. "We're going back in." There was a paused as we all looked at her. "I know what you're thinking, but I had a visit at the school from Caleb."

"Buffy. Wh-why didn't you-"

"I'm fine. I mean, it wasn't fun, but Aud already healed me. But I figured something out. Kept making all this noise about the school."

"Is it that seal again?" Robin asked.

"Do we need to shut it again?"

"No, that's just it. We've spent all this time worrying about the seal and the Hellmouth. Why isn't Caleb guarding them? Why doesn't he have someone protecting it? Why is he camped out at the vineyard?"

"....Bad guys always go where the power is." Speaking low, I rubbed my chin while getting at what Buffy was trying to say.

"Exactly. So if the seal was so important to Caleb and The First, they would be there right now. They're protecting the vineyard or-or _something_ at the vineyard. I say it's their power. I say it's time we go in and take it away from them."

"Or, in the alternative, how about we don't? It's a neat theory, B, but I'm not goin' back in that place, not without proof. Neither should you, neither should they." Faith said while crossing her arms.

"Buffy has a point though. Caleb is undoubtedly human- there's no way he has that power naturally. There's gotta be something-"

"I think Faith had the floor." Robin looked at me and I had to suppress the growl I felt building. There was a look in his eyes and I didn't like it, I felt challenged.

"Okay, I believe you, Aud. But maybe it ends okay the way B wants to play it, but maybe it doesn't. Right now, I don't think I want her playing the odds." Faith looked from me to Buffy.

"Did you come here to fight?" The blonde asked.

"Listen, we're fighters- all of us- but you got to give me something to fight, something real, not-"

"Windmills." Pops piped up.

"There _is_ something there." Buffy insisted.

"Maybe. We can't be sure of that. Th-this is a _Hell_ of a lot to ask."

"Too much." Principal Wood popped off.

"I-I don't understand this. For seven years I've kept us safe by doing this- _exactly_ this. Making the hard decisions. A-and now you're all acting like you can't trust me? Aud does." Buffy furrowed her brows while looking around the room.

"Aud follows you like a dog." One of the girls popped off. "Of course she'll go along with whatever you say. But you're being reckless." Rona pointed.

"What?"

"You are! Man, I don't even _know_ you and I can tell." Rona waved her hand. "You are _so_ obsessed with beating Caleb, you are willing to jump into _any_ plan without thinking."

"That's not what I'm doing." Buffy shifted on her feet.

"Well, that's how it feels to us." Kennedy stood up. "How much are you willing to bet your plans haven't epically failed up until now simply because you had an insanely powerful demon at your beck and call?" She gestured to me with one of her hands. "People are dying, and your little demon was useless against Caleb, so you don't really have that trump card anymore, do you?"

"Kennedy-" Willow reached out to her.

"Why are you always standing up for her?" Kennedy snapped at the witch.

"I'm not."

"What do you mean you're not?" Buffy looked at the end of her ropes and I was clenching my jaw as my claws dug into my palms.

"With everything that's happened, I-I'm worried about your judgement." Willow replied calmly.

"I wish this could be a democracy. I really do. Democracies don't win battles. It's the hard truth, but there has to be a single voice. You need someone to issue orders and be reckless sometimes and not take your feelings into account. You need someone to lead you." Buffy stated.

"And it's automatically you." Anya popped off. "You really do think you're better than we are."

"No, I-"

"But we don't know. We don't know if you're _actually_ better. You came into the world with certain advantages, sure. I mean, that's the legacy." Anya continued.

"I-"

"But you didn't _earn_ it." The ex-demon shook her head. "You didn't _work_ for it. You've never had anybody come up to you and say you deserve these things more than anyone else. They were handed to you. So that doesn't make you _better_ than us. It makes you _luckier_ than us."

"I've gotten us this far." Buffy spoke softly.

"But not without a price." Xander mumbled.

"Xander-"

"I'm trying to see your point here, Buff....but I guess it must be a little bit to my left cause I just don't." He was shaking his head, and the gauze over his eye seemed more prominent with his words.

"Look, I'm-I'm willing to talk strategy, I'll hear suggestions on how to break this down, but _this_ is the plan. We 'have' to be together on this or we _will_ fail again."

"We are _clearly_ demonstrating that we are _not_ together on this." Pops rose his voice.

"Which is why you have to fall in line! I am still in charge here."

"And, why is that exactly?" Rona piped up again.

"Because I'm the Slayer."

"And isn't _Faith_ a Slayer, too?" The potential gestured to the brunette Slayer. "Maybe you're still in charge because we're all scared of the only person that still follows your orders. Which, I hate to break it to you, isn't even human." I snarled while seeing red for a split second, and the next thing I knew my fist was in the wall and it was dead silent again.

"So funny how you all will smile and joke with me when it's convenient for you, but when it comes down to it, I'm still just a damned _demon._ " I growled, not moving a muscle as I glared at the wall. "Doesn't matter how much of me actually is human, doesn't matter how much of me is demon, I'm just automatically lumped in with them. I've proven myself to you all time and time again, and yet I _still_ am just looked at as what? An obedient dog? Buffy's pet? A troublesome _thing_?" Pulling my fist from the wall, I turned to look at them and I saw many of them flinch.

"I've done _nothing_ to _any_ of you, and yet you still think of me as a monster waiting to let loose. I've saved many of your lives, as has Buffy, and _this_ is the repayment? Doubts? Mistrust? _Fear_?" Looking over their faces I angrily put my hand onto my chest. "What is it exactly that you see when you look at me? You think I can't smell your terror? Can't hear your heart race whenever you see me in my true form? I may be half demon, but at least _I'm_ honest with who I am."

"Aud, it's not-"

"I don't want to hear anything from you." I pointed at Pops. "You did something worse than any of these girls could have done to me. You're my father and you outright _betrayed_ me and thought it was right." Giles dropped his gaze out of shame while swallowing. "Fine. If you brats want to keep seeing me as the enemy, don't expect me to be your friend. I'm done helping you ungrateful _humans_." I snarled and went to the front door, not even bothering with my jacket or shoes as I slammed it shut behind me.

I already knew damn well where I was going, and it may be stupid, but it was the only thing I could think of.

I was going to kill Caleb.


	91. Don't have nobody to call my own

"Well, well, well, look who it is, gracing me with a pleasant visit." Caleb smiled as I stepped down off of the stairs. "Where's you little friend, Buffy?"

"Not here."

"So you came all by yourself? My, that was mighty stupid of you."

"I underestimated you last time. I won't make that mistake again." Rolling my shoulders, I shifted forms as he simply stared at me and tilted his head.

"Now, I gotta say, that's mighty miraculous what you do. I can see why our....mutual friend has such interest in you." Caleb waved his hand. "Sorry about crackin' your neck, but I knew it wouldn't kill you."

"....How would you know?"

"There's only four ways to kill an Ustrina Augendae, they're rather hardy buggers." I heard an English accented voice that I knew too well, and Spike came stepping out of the shadows. Of course, it wasn't actually the vampire, it was The First wearing his face yet again. "You can bleed 'em out like a pig, completely cut off their head, destroy their heart, or the simpler way most seem to resort to, use magic." The First raised a finger for each way of killing as it listed them off before smiling at me and tucking its thumbs behind its belt buckle. "Hello, Aud. Didn't think you missed me so much you'd come straight to me."

"Stop looking like Spike." I growled.

"Oh, does it bother you?" The First walked towards me rather casually. "You don't like seeing the face of your lover?"

"Not on you."

"Too bad. A shame what happened to the bloke, I wasn't done with him. But things change and I adapt." It chuckled. "You're here to take him on again, aren't you, love?"

"I'm here to _kill_ him." Caleb laughed.

"Little girl, I twisted your head around like a doll the last time you tried. What makes this time any different?"

"I won't be holding back." I growled, lunging at the psuedo-priest and dropping low when he tried to grab me. I had learned my lesson last time and gave him an uppercut.

"I don't care what you do, she'll heal, just don't kill her." The First said as Caleb had to take a step back because of my punch.

"Woo! We're gonna have ourselves some fun." Caleb turned, swinging a fist at me that I barely dodged, his knuckles grazed my cheek and the ring on his finger cut me. The First nonchalantly walked around us and sat on a barrel to watch. I leaned back to miss his other fist, going low again strike at his sternum with a flat palm. He only stumbled back a few steps before snatching my wrist and yanking me towards him.

The man brought his knee up into my gut, the force literally taking me off of the ground as I grunted. He was about to do it again, but I dug my claws into his arm, forcing him to let me go. Jumping back, my tail swayed as I looked at Caleb and wiped my cheek. Rushing him, I spun and knocked his jaw with the back of my heel.

~

"It's not fair when you cheat." I grumbled, spitting out blood as I tried to get more comfortable.

"It's not cheatin' to use your resources, girl. Not my fault you weren't payin' attention." Caleb adjusted his shirt collar before picking up and wringing out a wet rag to clean the blood off of himself.

"Too much of a pussy to fight me on your own, more like." Growling, I snapped at the Bringer sliding a plate towards me. Caleb looked pissed with how his jaw clenched, but he only got one step towards me before The First stood in the middle.

"You had your fight, leave it."

"You call that a fight?" I popped off. "The pathetic loser had to resort to poison to take me down."

"That wasn't poison, pet." The First turned with a smile, his hands in his pockets as he stood in front of me and crouched to be eye level. "You see, there's only one plant that grows both in this world and your home dimension, extremely rare, and gives off a scent that leaves your kind incapacitated. Completely harmless, really, but it's like a sedative that doesn't make you sleep."

"Got that from the Glory bitch." I grunted as my dislocated arm popped back into place, the chains rattling as they moved. "So, when do you plan on exsanguinating me?"

"Oh, love, you've got the wrong idea." The fake Spike smiled while clasping his hands. "I'm not gonna kill you, not at all. You're _so_ much better alive. I plan on using those special abilities of yours more after we permanently open the Hellmouth. It'll be so much easier if you're cooperative, but your participation isn't quite necessary." My lips pursed, knowing they had plenty more of that dried up plant somewhere. Caleb hadn't really had much when he blew some of it my face during our fight, but I doubted The First wouldn't keep more on hand if he had plans with me.

"And what makes you think I wouldn't escape as soon as I sober up?"

"Don't know about you, little lady, but I don't see you havin' a key to them there locks." Caleb popped off, soaking the rag he had with his own blood. He was covered in bruises and cuts, and I knew I had broken a few bones, but I was much worse off- especially after his cheap stunt.

My broken leg slowly righted and I snarled when the bones snapped back into place. The First glanced down at my leg and tilted his head.

"Your kind are hardy like I said, but so fragile with how easy you break. Watching an Ustrina heal from such a state is like watching something come to life."

"It's grotesque." Caleb huffed.

"As is the way of being. Everything is ugly, but it's in chaos that beauty can be found. Ain't that right, pet?"

"Go fuck yourself."

"I just might." The First chuckled, the pitch and tone changing as it turned into me.

~

There was no one around as far as I could see, but I was hearing things like hammering and power saws from below. Balling my hands into fists, I tugged on the chains to test their strength. They seemed rather sturdy and were bolted right into the brick wall. I absolutely loathed being chained up and it was driving me mad.

Standing up, I looked around the dark room, straining my ears to listen. It sounded like they were mining just beneath my feet, and I could only assume they were digging for whatever was keeping them here. If I wanted to get out of here....I wouldn't be able to see or interfere with whatever was going on down there. Lowly growling to myself, I felt my tail twitch. I had yet again made a mistake concerning Caleb, and if I didn't find a way to fix this, I will have ruined everything.

Checking my surroundings again, I still saw nothing but wine barrels. Wrapping the chains around my hands a few times, I grabbed them firmly and jerked forward, pulling on the chains while digging my paws into the floor. Clenching my jaw and grunting with effort, I could hear the metal groaning.

_'Just a bit more!'_ I thought, straining my muscles more. It had been hours since I had shown up here and gotten my ass handed to me, so I was certain I was healed enough now to make a run for it and not get caught. One of the chains popped out of the wall, base and screws and all. Grabbing the other one with both hands, I yanked it out with a loud crumbling from the brick and didn't even wait to see if I was heard before I bolted for the stairs.

My heart was racing in my chest and I actually made it outside before I yelped and fell to the ground.

"Looks like I've caught the mouse. I think it's time to put you in a _cage_ , vermin." Caleb had caught me by the end of my tail roughly and was dragging me back. Digging my claws into the dirt, I tried to get free, but he wasn't letting go. I felt tears prick at my eyes as the fear set in.

"Aud!" I heard someone shout and I looked up to see a huge rock bigger than a basketball being thrown. Caleb flew back, falling back into the vineyard and down the stairs while letting me go. Scrambling away, I felt hands pull me up by my shoulders so that I was standing. From feeling his hands on me, I knew it was the real Spike and not another of The First's games. "Come one, let's get you out of here." He said quickly, running while pulling me along behind him. I felt such relief now, even with the chains still locked onto my wrists rattling as I ran.

~

"So they kicked you out?" I asked Buffy while the vampire was fiddling with the locks on me.

"Yes, but what where you thinking, Aud?! You could have gotten yourself killed!" The Slayer waved her hand at me. We were in someone's house that had evacuated along with the rest of the town and the power was out. The water still ran, but I doubted the people at the water company were still there anymore.

"I almost had him." I stated. "I was so close, Buffy, so fuckin' close, and then the little bitch pulled a Glory on me."

"A glory?" Spike furrowed his brows, getting one of the locks off as the chains piled onto the floor before he moved onto the next one.

"The Hell-god chick. Her and her goonies had this plant they burned and put on my face- paralyzed me so that I couldn't fight back. Caleb had some powdered up in his pocket and blew it in my face to change the tide of the fight." I explained. "Took me an entire day to heal after...." There was a quiet pause as they processed how injured I must have been for it to take me that long. "But they kicked _you_ out? Even after everything?" I said with disbelief.

"Shortly after you stormed out." Buffy sighed while crossing her arms.

"....Why did you storm out to begin with, love?"

"...." I swallowed, lowering my gaze without answering.

"I'm gonna....go find something to eat. You must be starving, Aud." Buffy awkwardly pointed over her shoulder with her thumb and left the room.

"Aud, what was so bad that you left and went after Caleb?" Spike's tone was firmer as the lock popped off. Rubbing my wrists now that they were both free, I sighed.

"The girls were all turning on Buffy and I tried to stand up for her, but the situation only made them admit to the feelings about me that they'd been hiding." Swallowing, I glanced at him and gave a sad smile. "But....maybe they're right. I mean, when so many people believe something....there's got to be a reason, right?"

"What are you talking about? What feelings?"

"....They're scared of me. They look to me only as a demon and Buffy's pet and I-" I choked as my eyes stung. "I know I'm more than some animal on a leash, but....whoever I show loyalty to is automatically seen as my master. Humans see me as a murderous demon, and demons see me as half-breed filth, but at least they acknowledge my humanity. I'm just a tool, a weapon- I'm either expected to put on a show or fight with my life on the line." Tears ran hot down my cheeks as I balled my hands into fists on my knees. "I'm just a _thing_. I try and I try to prove that I'm something I'm just not, and I don't know why I get so angry when people see me for what I really-"

"Now, you listen to me." Spike cut me off, crouching in front of me while looking me right in the eye. "I've been alive a bit longer than you, and dead a lot longer than that. I've seen things you couldn't imagine, and done things I prefer you didn't. I don't exactly have a reputation for being a thinker. I follow my blood, which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain. So I make a lot of mistakes, a lot of wrong bloody calls. Hundred plus years....and there's only one thing I've ever been sure of: you." He wiped some of my tears away with his thumb. "Hey, look at me. When I say I love you, it's not because I want you or because I want to use you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, and how you try." He said softly.

"I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the _best_ and the _worst_ of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are." Spike raised his brows. "You're a _Hell_ of a woman. You're the one, Aud. You're not some _tool_ or the Slayer's pet, you're not some scary demon that goes bump in the night. You're a wonderful person and I love you because of it." I sniffed as he wiped away more of my tears. "You treated me like a man when everyone else treated me like a monster. Those girls? They're just stupid teenagers, they don't know a lick about you." He softly smiled at me. "Now, let's get you something to eat. All that fightin' and healin' must have taken a toll on you."

"Don't worry about it, I come bearing a crap load of raviolis and sandwiches." Buffy came in, carrying a tray stacked with food and my stomach growled so loudly it made her laugh.

After eating, we settled down for the night to get some rest and decided to think of our next move in the morning. I felt safe being held in Spike's arms as he ran a hand through my hair, and I was comfortable laying my head on his chest. His words were running through my head for a good while until I just passed out from exhaustion.

~

Waking up the next morning, I carefully pried myself from Spike, trying not to wake him up, and went to the bathroom. Yawning while washing my hands before leaving the restroom, I saw my tired reflection in the mirror. Sighing through my nose, I leaned on the counter while letting all of my demonic features show and looked at myself. The markings on my skin that were black as char and ash stood out on my mostly pale skin, contrasting with my snow white hair. My ears stuck out a good few inches, and my claws were nearly an inch long themselves.

Touching my cheek while still looking in the mirror, I could still see the freckles littering my cheeks as my black fingers ran over my skin. I didn't think I was scary, but I was used to my own face.

There was a knock at the door and I shook my head, turning back into my human form before opening the door to Buffy.

"You said you almost had Caleb, right?" She asked me.

"Yeah, why?"

"How close were you exactly?"

"Uh, I'd say a few more hits and I'd've gotten him into a corner."

"Could you do it again?"

"Sure, but they've got that-"

"Don't worry about that. You won't be alone." Buffy shifted on her feet. "We don't need to kill him yet, just get whatever they have. Do you remember anything specific from when you were there?"

"They were digging. Beneath the floor- it sounded like they were working to get something out of the ground."

~

"Hey! Heard you got something of mine." Buffy popped off after pushing the unconscious Bringer down the stairs.

"Well, if it ain't the prodigal Slayer?"

"Where's it at? I'm gonna find it sooner or later." The blonde stepped onto the hard floor while looking around.

"No, you're not." Caleb smiled. "I lay one hand on you and you're just a dead little girl."

"Then lay a hand on me." Buffy raised her hands out at her sides, challenging the psuedo-priest. His smile faltered when he heard me growling as I came down the stairs.

"If you think you can." I popped of.

"What, you think she's gonna help you do what you couldn't yourself?" Caleb chuckled, but....he was worried.

"Maybe." Buffy raised her brows while holding her hand out to me. I clapped it and we circled Caleb. It was crazy- the man couldn't even get a hand on either of us as we lead him around vineyard, dodging his fists and open hands. He seemed to not know who to go after and tried to get us both, failing every time as we ducked or jumped or evaded. We had a certain goal in mind and we were going to stick to it: find what was being hidden, and then get out.

In Caleb's haste, he uncovered a trapdoor hidden behind a barrel and Buffy dove for it. The brunette thought he now had the advantage, but I slid between his legs and to the opening like a baseball player sliding to home. I grabbed the trapdoor on my way down, closing it behind me to give us at least a few seconds if Caleb continued to come after us.

Torches placed on support beams lit up the carved out earth beneath the floor, and near the back on hunk of rock was a red and silver axe embedded in some sort of onyx black stone. The blade looked polished and razor sharp, and the other end of the handle was actually a smooth, wooden stake.

"Well, it's definitely shiny." I mumbled.

"Yeah. It is." Buffy smirked.


	92. Please turn on your magic beam

There was a clattering behind us as Caleb broke through the trapdoor. Turning so that our backs weren't to him, Buffy and I watched as he came closer.

"So, you found it. Not impressed. Cause the question now, girlie-girl, is can you pry it from solid rock before I come over there and-" He cut himself off as Buffy picked up the axe with such ease. Caleb was even more worried down, nervously laughing as he looked at Buffy. Whatever this axe was, it scared him. "Darn. Now, before you go hurtin' yourself with that thing, why don't you do yourself a courtesy and hand it over now?"

"Yeah? You want it?" Buffy asked.

"Heh, you don't even know _what_ you got there." Caleb actually took a step back as the Slayer shifted her hold on the weapon.

"I know you're backing away." She took a step forward and Caleb backed up more.

"You think wielding some two-sided doodad's gonna make a difference?"

"I think it is. You reek of fear." My nose twitched. "And anxiety with a hint of booze." Caleb clenched his jaw and his head turned to the side slightly as if he were listening to something.

"I let them go, she slices me open with that thing." The pseudo-priest said, speaking to neither of us so more than likely talking to The First. "I'm not lettin' her out of here with that thing." My eyes shot to the corner, seeing The First in the form of Spike. His head jerked towards the broken trapped door and I narrowed my eyes.

The First was letting us go. Why?

"Come on, Buffy." I waved my hand to the Slayer and she followed me out, Caleb not moving a muscle to stop us.

~

Hearing screaming, I busted through the floor, shifting into my true form as my hair turned to flames. Landing in a crouch, I roared while baring my fangs before tackling a Turok Han that had Kennedy by the throat. I heard Buffy drop down through the hole behind me, taking out a bunch of the ubervamps with the axe as I burned the one I had taken down. Spinning on my heel as I got back up, I called out to Buffy.

"Go low!" The blond rolled out of the way of the last Turok Han, swinging the axe at his legs as I leaped and rammed my burning cranium into the back of his head like a mountain goat. My brain felt like it rattled in my skull, but my head was apparently hardier as the fire burnt away the vampire's flesh and brain through his cracked skull. Burning dust fell to the dirty ground, and the four ubervamps were dead.

"Get the wounded. We're leaving." Buffy told the girls huddled in the corner.

"Are there more?"

"There's always more." My tail flicked to the side as I looked over my shoulder at them.

"Let's move." Buffy nodded, and we dug through the rubble to save whoever was left alive. In our absence, Faith had taken a faction of the girls to follow a lead they had gotten from a Bringer that turned out to be a trap. There had been a bomb, and from the looks of things they hadn't made it out before it had gone off.

Getting home, the house looked like an infirmary. We couldn't take anyone to the hospital simply because no one was even there. Those that were well enough or already at the house were seeing to the injured. Pops and Xander were carrying Faith up the stairs as she was out cold, and I was right on their heels.

"Just get her in the bed and bring me a bowl of water and a rag, I'll take care of the rest." I told them as they went to Buffy's room. "You- get me a needle from a med kit. Try to get a 16 gauge." I pointed to one of the potentials in the room as the two men laid Faith down as gently as they could. Turning my braid into a bun, I then rolled up my sleeves and carefully got the brunette Slayer out of her jacket.

Biting into my palm, I set to work on healing the wounds I could see while Xander rushed to get the water and rag.

"Pops, go help the girls downstairs, they'll need your medical knowledge." I told him. "Not to mention that calm demeanor." Giving a reassuring smile, I urged him to leave, letting Faith and I have the room alone until Xander came back and set the water onto the nightstand. "Where's Gina with that needle?"

"Here!" The girl hurried in and handed it to me.

"Good." Sitting on the edge of the bed, I bit open the package and held out my arm. Biting off the cap over the needle, I carefully stuck it into my own vein.

"What are you doing?" Xander asked me as I drew blood.

"They said Faith was the closest to the blast. She's got quite a number of broken bones and internal bleeding- I can't fix that by rubbing my blood on her skin. Not all of it, anyway." Pulling out the needle now that it was full, I reached over and pulled down the front of Faith's shirt. Feeling out her sternum, I leaned over and went around the bone to stab the needle as close to her heart as I could get without seeing it. "....Now, all she has to do is get it through her system on her own."

"That's not gonna, like, have any....side-effects, is it?" The potential asked.

"No." I sighed. "I've had to do this with someone at the Watchers' Council before. It was one of their experiments in trying to find out what I was, so you don't have to worry about her getting any demonic bits." I glanced to Xander and whispered. "Get her out of here." He nodded to me and I reached for the rag in the water to clean the blood off of Faith.

~

"How is she?"

"Stable." I replied while walking into Willow's room. "And the axe?"

"I'm thinking maybe it's some kind of scythe. The only sure thing is it made Caleb back off in a hurry." Buffy turned her attention from me to Willow and Pops.

"So it's true. Scythe matters." Willow grinned while nudging Pops as he held the weapon.

"And, ignoring that, I'd just like to point out this is really quite ingenious." The older male smiled while giving a few jabs with the stake end.

"Kills strong bodies three ways."

"And you say you sense something when you hold it?" Willow asked.

"Not much, but it's strong. And....I knew it belonged to me. I just 'knew' it." The Slayer gestured with her hand.

"In addition to being ancient, it's clearly mystical."

"Yeah, I figured that one out when I King Arthur-ed it out of the stone."

"So maybe it's like some kinda traditional Slayer weapon." Willow suggested.

"I can't imagine how something like this could exist without-without my having heard of it." Pops made a face.

"Well, the good guys aren't well known for their communication skills." I popped off.

"....Right, um....any chance that it might be something other than a tool for killing things?" Pops questioned while sitting on the end of Willow's bed.

"The First's guys clearly wanted it out of that stone." Buffy shrugged. "It's not just a tool. It's important. We need to find out whatever we can. Who made it, when, why? Does it have a name? I don't know, a-a credit report? Just find out fast."

"We'll start work immediately." Pops nodded.

"And don't worry, Buff. We'll find out everything there is to know." Willow pointed while walking towards her desk and opening her laptop.

"Good because right now, that thing's all we got goin' for us."

"I'm gonna go keep an eye on Faith, watch how she does." I gestured with my head towards the door.

"If you need anything, yell."

"Will do." I nodded, turning on my heel to go back to Buffy's room. Now that Faith had had my blood in her system for a bit now, she was already starting to look better. Going to the side of the bed, I leaned over to listen to her heartbeat and breathing. Both seem within normal again now, so that was a good sign. Pulling up a chair, I plopped down with the journal to read while I waited for the brunette to wake up.

~

"Hey, snowball, you're back."

"I'M NOT ASLEEP!" I jerked up out of my chair, the journal falling out of my lap and onto the floor.

"....Sure." Faith gave me a look and I plopped back down into the chair while sighing.

"You're awake. Good."

"Yeah, and I don't really feel like I was just blown up. Actually, I feel _great_." The brunette looked confused while looking down at her hands.

"You've got my blood in your system. It'll fade." Leaning over, I picked up the book from the floor and set it onto the nightstand. Wiping the drool from my chin with the back of my hand, I waved my other hand at her. "For a while, though, you'll feel like that because of the healing factor, but it'll pass as your body....well, digests it in a way."

"Like a super powered IV drip?"

"Pretty much."

"Cool." She grinned. "What's that?" Faith's gaze went to the journal.

"Some journal somebody wrote about the Ustrina Augendae. Don't know where it came from, don't know who wrote it, but whoever did it was actually in that dimension." Sighing, I crossed my arms before there was a knock at the door.

"Glad to see you awake." Buffy softly smiled, walking in with the axe in her hand. "I've got something for you to check out." The blonde handed the weapon to Faith and the brunette's face twisted.

"Damn."

"You feel it too, don't you?"

"Damn, that's somethin'."

"I know."

"It's old. It's strong. And it feels like....like it's mine." Faith smiled briefly before her face fell and she set down the axe. "I guess that means it's yours."

"It belongs to the Slayer."

"Slayer-in-charge, which, I'm guessing, is you."

"I honestly don't know." Buffy sat on the edge of the bed. "Does it matter?"

"Never mattered to me." Faith shrugged. "'Somebody' has to lead. Let's vote for Chao-Ahn. Hard to lead people into a deathtrap if you don't speak English."

"It wasn't your fault." Buffy replied as I got up to let them have a private conversation.

"I'm not really looking for forgiveness."

"You're not?"

"What do you want me to say?" I heard Faith say as I left the room. Going downstairs, things were much calmer now and injured girls were resting all over the living room. Candles were sporadically placed to offer lighting in the darkness, and I softly blew on some candles to relight them at the base of the stairs. The front door opened behind me and I looked over my shoulder to see Spike.

"Honey, you're home." There was a bit of sarcasm in his voice. "I was a bit worried wakin' up to you gone, but there wasn't much I could do with the sun up."

"I left a note." I nervously smiled.

"Yeah, sayin' you and Buffy were off to the vineyard. So what happened?"

"Got this shiny weapon that made Caleb nearly piss his pants." I raised my brows as my hands went into my back pockets.

"I can see why a girl would ditch a bloke for something like that."

"Would it make it better if I said sorry?" I slightly cringed.

"It doesn't matter. You're back in the bosom. All's forgiven." He softly smiled which made me feel relieved and I walked towards the kitchen with him following behind me. "So how you feelin' being back here?"

"....I don't know." I sighed. "Nothing's really changed. We're still at war." Turning to him, I crossed my arms. "What about you?"

"What about me?" He scoffed.

"How are you feeling, you bonehead." I popped off and he rolled his eyes.

"I am not-"

"William." He stopped, hearing the tone in my voice. "How are you? You can't just ask me and expect to not-"

"Terrified." Spike looked away while sliding his hands into his front pockets.

"Of?"

"Last night was...." He trailed off, glancing at me before he shook his head. "God, I'm such a jerk. I can't do this."

"Do what?" My brows furrowed with confusion as his jaw clenched.

"I've lived for sodding ever, Aud. I've done everything. Done things with you I can't spell, but....I've never been _close_....to anyone." The blond spoke softly as he looked at me. "Not until you." The flames from the candles on the shelf lit his face with a dancing light, making his blue eyes seemingly glitter like gems. "Last night, seeing that bloody priest dragging you into that vineyard with your eyes wide with fear.... I was terrified. I thought I was going to lose you. Again."

"Is this normal?" I questioned. "To have such fears and griefs and joys simply by being in love?"

"And then some." Spike swallowed.

"So....you love me?" Taking a step closer to him, he looked at me without blinking.

"I do."

"You trust me?"

"I do." He answered as I gently laid my hands onto his cheeks.

"Are you scared right now?"

"I am."

"Of me?"

"Never." And I kissed him. His hands left his pockets and settled on my hips as he kissed back. It was soft and sweet, but didn't last long as I heard a throat clear behind me. "See you got the Holy Grail, or the Holy Hand Grenade, or 'whatever' the Hell that is." Spike popped off after clearing his own throat.

"Right now we're going with scythe." Buffy smiled. "You like?"

"Pointy and wooden is not exactly the look I wanna know better, but it does have flair."

"Well, I've got work to do and you two lovebirds are kinda blockin' the door."

"Oh, right, sorry." I sort of blushed while backing away from Spike to step away from the door. "Another mission?"

"This one's solo."

"You sure? I-I mean-"

"It's just to get some info. This thing was forged by I don't even know." Buffy gestured with the axe while shrugging. "I mean, there's something about a tomb on unconsecrated ground. I need to find out what this is and why I have it."

"And that's the thing the preacher man was so anxious to keep out of your mitts?" Spike asked with a raised brow.

"That it is."

"Well, maybe I'll swing by the vineyard when you go, make sure he's sitting tight." The vampire raised his brows when he saw the look I was giving him. "Just gonna check from a distance."

"You're insane if you think you're going alone." I popped off.

"Great." Buffy nodded. "You two keep watch, I'll do some digging, recon back here."

"Okay." I nodded.

"We'll go be heroes." Spike said with a tone while opening the back door.

~

"Spike! There he goes!" I smacked the vampire on the chest to get his attention while whispering.

"Ow! I can _see_ that, Aud." He rubbed where I had hit him. "Wonder where he's off to...."

"Well, we're gonna find out." I said lowly, and we both tailed Caleb from a good distance as he walked through the woods around the vineyard. The pseudo-priest seemed to know exactly where he was going and eventually exited the woods in a cemetery. Hiding behind tombstones and statues, we silently followed the man as he continued on. "What the Hell...." I mumbled, watching Caleb go into what looked like a miniature pyramid blocked off by a gate.

"Definitely looks like something is in there. What do you think?"

"....If we go down, don't be macho and try to fight by yourself. We work together if we have to fight at all."

"I wouldn't-" I simply gave him a look and he shut up, knowing damn well he'd done it before. Going down the narrow steps just behind the door, they led into the Earth and there was light below. Sneaking behind a column, I was surprised to see Caleb fighting with Buffy. I moved to help her, but Spike pulled me back and put a finger to his lips before pointing.

....Some guy entered the room and jumped into the fight, punching the pseudo-priest right in the face.

"....Who the Hell is the guy with the caveman forehead?" I whispered, making Spike snort.

"Angel."

" _That's_ Angel?" I furrowed my brows, watching him help Buffy to her feet.

"I was never much for preachers." The tall, dark haired vampire said with a smirk.

"Angel." Buffy smiled, getting a strange look in her eyes.

"You look good."

"You look timey. And also good." The Slayer grinned.

"Heard maybe you needed a hand." Angel looked to Caleb as he stood up.

"I feel like I'm watching a bad soap opera." I popped off as the brunette went to fight Caleb again before Buffy stopped him.

"Ah, it's one of those things you have to finish yourself."

"Really kinda is." Buffy nodded and Angel backed away with a smile, going to stand by a column a few feet away. "You are _so_ gonna lose." He told Caleb while crossing his arms.

"I admire the confidence he has in Buffy, but....I thought you guys said he was all ' _broody_ '."

"This is one of the very few and very seldom times he's not." Spike sighed.

"Why are we still hiding, though?"

"You really want to get caught up in that sap?"

"I only saw it for a few seconds and my answer is a firm _no_." I replied while watching Buffy actually kicking Caleb's ass with her new weapon until she straight up sliced open his stomach.

"See? Under control." Buffy looked over her shoulder as Angel walked towards her.

"Well, at least you could tell me you're glad to see me."

"....I say we leave now." I said as Buffy pulled the brunette down to her level for a kiss after dropping the axe. "I don't feel like watching a make-out."

"Agreed."


	93. Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream

"So, where's Tall, Dark, and Forehead?" Spike popped off as Buffy came downstairs. He was relaxing on the cot while I was striking at the punching bag hanging from the ceiling.

"You can smell him?"

"Yeah, that and I also used my enhanced vampire eyeballs to see you kissing him."

"It was hello."

"Most people don't use their tongues to say hello." I rose my eyebrows at the blonde while stopping the punching bag from swinging. "Or, well, they do, but-"

"There were no tongues." Buffy said defensively.

"Liar."

"He's gone." She shot me a look and I smirked.

"Oh, just popped by for a quickie, then?"

"Spike!" I looked over my shoulder at him and he just raised his shoulders.

"What?" The vampire then pointed. "He wears lifts, ya know."

"One of these days I'm gonna put you two in a room and let you wrestle it out." Buffy shook her head while crossing her arms.

"No problem at this end."

"Maybe there could be oil of some kind involved."

"Aud!" Buffy looked at me as did Spike and they both seemed shocked.

"He may have a brow like a neanderthal, but he wasn't that bad looking. Not to mention seeing Spike all-"

"Ew-kay, please go no further." Buffy cringed, making me chuckled. "Anyways, I'm here because of this." She held up a necklace with a large jewel set in some sort of metal. "Angel said only someone with a soul that's more than human can wear it."

"....Does that mean I gotta wear it? What's it do?" I asked, furrowing my brows as I went to stand next to the Slayer. Spike got to his feet to get a closer look as well.

"Angel was going to wear it."

"That means I'm the qualified party then." Spike sighed.

"It's volatile."

"Hold up, what?" I raised my hand as Buffy was looking right at the vampire.

"You'll need someone strong to bear it then." Spike had a certain tone in his voice.

"Hey, wait, I've got a soul, I'm more than human, _and_ I'm pretty strong. I don't feel comfortable letting-"

"I'm sorry, Aud, but you _enhance_ magic and we don't know what this thing really does. I can't take the risk of you wearing it and something going horribly wrong." Buffy gave me a serious look.

"....But-"

"I'll be fine, pet. What's a little trinket gonna do to me?" Spike asked, holding out his hand to take the necklace.

"Angel said the amulet was meant to be worn by a champion." The Slayer said lowly, gently setting the necklace into Spike's hand.

"Been called a lot of things in my time." The vampire mumbled and I chewed the inside of my cheek. Suddenly, I heard the basement door fly open and someone quickly coming down the stairs.

"Guys! You won't believe this!" Faith had an excited tone as she halted at the bottom of the stairs, some food hanging out of her mouth as she was waving a familiar journal in her hand. "Oh, hey, B." She jerked up her chin in a greeting before looking at Spike and I. "So, you left your little journal on the nightstand and I got a little bored and a little curious and kind of flipped through it."

"And? Is something wrong?" I quirked up a brow while crossing my arms.

"Well, depends on how you look at it, but something on the last few pages caught me eye. Apparently, according to the Ustrina Augendae culture, _you two_ are fuckin' _married_ , man." Faith pointed at the vampire and I while smiling and chewing the food in her mouth.

"What?" Spike scoffed.

"Yeah, says it right here that the first time an Ustrina has sex is basically their wedding. How's it feel to know your wedding brought the whole house down?" She joked and I felt my face get hot. There was an incredibly tense silence before my voice weakly broke it.

"Why in the world would that be considered marriage?" I asked and Faith's face fell.

"Oh, shit, you haven't even gotten this far yet? You don't know?"

"Know what? I'm still reading about the aquatic life."

"....Aud, you guys mate for _life_ , man." And an even more tense silence fell as I stared unblinkingly at Faith.

"I'll, uh....I'll just go now." Buffy cleared her throat while backing away, pointing to the stairs before she walked past the brunette and left.

" _Shit_ , I didn't know you didn't know." Faith had a more serious expression now and everything was beginning to make sense to me now. "Honestly, what caught my eye was a pretty, uh, dirty drawing and right by it was all kinds of stuff on how the Ustrina have mates and their breeding habits and all that junk." I had to sit down, resting my elbows on my knees as I looked at the floor.

So this was why I felt so hollow when Spike wasn't around. Why I physically hurt to see him in any kind of pain, why I yearned for him even when I knew he was bad, why I was so lost and confused by the extreme emotions I had been feeling.

"Fuck, I just assumed you-" Faith cut herself off. "God, I'm so sorry. I guess now of all times isn't really the best to find something like this out...."

"What do you mean?" Spike questioned, looking from Faith to me and back.

"Dude, don't you get it? She's like a swan. If you die, that's _it_ for her, and war is just around the corner." Faith waved her hand and Spike had to sit down too.

"How?" I asked.

"How what?"

"How does it work? H-how-" I looked up at Faith, watching her close the journal and set it on the table.

"They won't feel any attractions to another until they find a ' _suitable_ ' mate." Faith explained. "From what's written in here, that means they're usually genetically compatible- whatever that means- and basically top predators. You know, an animalistic instinct type of deal to find the right mate to raise and protect young with."

"Well, that doesn't make any sense." Spike popped off. "I mean, for one thing, vampires can't have kids. We're sterile."

"Look, I don't know what to tell you. I just read a few pages and that's what it said."

"No, but among the humans I've been around my entire life, you _are_ a predator." I mumbled.

"Yeah, but haven't you been around other demons before?" Faith furrowed her brows.

"As a child." Covering my face with my hands, I felt the inner turmoil of conflicting emotions. On one hand, I was, in a way, happy that Spike would be the only love in my life, but on the other hand, _if_ by any chance he died, whether it be during this war or by some freak accident or _whatever_ , I wouldn't be able to just grieve like a normal person and eventually move on with time. Not only that, Spike in turn was pretty much stuck with me.

"So what you're sayin' is that Aud only loves me because I'm the first demon she met as an adult?"

"No!" I quickly said.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, buddy." Faith raised her hands while uncomfortably laughing. "I said they don't feel _attraction_ until they meet someone good enough. The love thing was all you two."

~

I found myself lying awake again even after hours of laying comfortably on the cot with Spike. Swallowing, I sighing through my nose and got to my feet. Pacing around the basement, my mind was swarming. Caleb was out of the picture now, sure, but The First and the Hellmouth and the horde of Turok Han beneath it were still an issue. Now, to add to it, there was the amulet of questionable power given to Spike and the fact that I had clearly inherited my demon half's mating habits was looming over my head.

"I swear, if you die, I'm gonna kill you." I mumbled while looking over to Spike. Rolling my head, I walked over to one of the high window to look at the full moon outside. _'Like the moon....'_ I thought, remembering something the vampire had said during the interview with Andrew. Softly smiling, I crossed my arms.

"It's beautiful, is it not?" I looked over when I heard a woman's voice and saw my mother. "We have two of them on our world. Bigger too." She stood next to me before glancing over her shoulder. "Oh, honey, isn't he handsome? Why don't you introduce me to-"

"You're not her." I stated.

"No, she's dead." The First smiled, dropping the act as it's tail swayed. "Every day our numbers swell. I _will_ overrun this Earth. When my army outnumbers the humans on this Earth, the scales will tip and I will be made flesh."

"Please, continued to talk on. I'm most _definitely_ listening."

"You should be."

"I'm not scared of you."

"Then why aren't you asleep in your dead lover's arms, sweetie?" The First looked at me with a condescending smile on my mother's face. "Because he can't help you. Nor Buffy, nor Faith, nor your other little friends or even the mass of _teenagers_ that can't even hold a sword right. I'll have you sooner than you think, and you'll only be able to watch as everyone you know and love _dies_."

"Pretty cocky for someone without a corporeal body." I popped off.

"Pretty confident for someone that's no more than a pet and a magic battery."

"I'm drownin' in footwear!" Spike suddenly jolted awake. "....Weird dream." He mumbled while looking around and his face twisted with confusion when he saw me standing by the far all. "Aud?" He sat up on the edge of the cot while resting his elbows on his legs. "Is there something wrong?"

"No." I replied, seeing that The First was gone. "But....I just realized something. We're gonna win." Looking the vampire right in the eye, he just slowly raised an eyebrow.

~

The next morning it seemed that Buffy had had a little visit from The First as well, only it came as Caleb to her and she had come to the same conclusion that I had. However, unlike me, she had formulated a rather....rocky plan.

"What do you think?" Buffy asked after telling us what she wanted to do.

"That depends. Are you in any way....kidding?" Xander asked.

"You don't think it's a good idea?"

"It's pretty radical, B." Faith smirked.

"It's a lot more than that." Pops stood up from where he had been sitting. "Buffy, what you said, i-it-it flies in the face of everything we've ever- Uh- Wha- Every generation has _ever_ done in the fight against evil." A smile slowly formed on his face. "I think it's bloody brilliant."

"You mean that?" Buffy asked.

"If you want my opinion."

"Really do."

"Whoa, hey. Not to poop on the party, but I'm the guy that's gonna have to pull this thing off." Willow made a face.

"It is beaucoup de mojo." Faith nodded.

"This goes beyond anything I've ever done. It's a total loss of control, and not in a nice, wholesome, 'my girlfriend has a pierced tongue' kind of way." Willow rambled and I deadpanned.

"Wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could do it."

"I-I-I'm not sure that I'm _stable_ enough."

"You can do this, Willow. We'll get the coven on the line an-and we can find out how they can help." Pops waved a hand.

"I can make a blood donation so you don't have to use as much of your own power." I raised my shoulders while sliding my hands into the front pockets of my jeans.

"Tha-"

"Oh!" Dawn's face lit up with realization as if she just finally understood something. "Pierced tongue."

"Dawn needs to do a research thing." Buffy quickly said.

"Yes, you do." Pops gestured with his head at the little Summers.

"It's cool. Watcher Jr. to the library." Dawn stood up.

"I'll, uh, go dig up my sources." Giles nodded, leaving with the teen following behind him. "Quite literally. Some of them are dead." I heard the man mumbled.

"Let's assemble the cannon fodder." Anya nudged Xander.

"That's not what we're calling 'em, sweetie."

"Not to their faces. What am I, insensitive?" The ex-demon questioned as those two left.

"I've gotta go find a jar or something." I pointed to myself, walking out as Buffy handed the axe to Willow.

~

"I hate this. I hate being here. I hate that you have to be here. I hate that there's evil, and that I was chosen to fight it. I wish, a whole lot of the time, that I hadn't been either. But this isn't about wishes." Buffy said, pacing around the living room and looking at each of the girls gathered there. "This is about choices. I believe we can beat this evil. Not when it comes, not when its army is ready. Now." The blonde stated. "Tomorrow morning I'm opening the seal. I'm going down into the Hellmouth, and I'm finishing this once and for all. Right now you're asking yourself ' _What makes this different? What makes us anything more than a bunch of girls being picked off one by one?'_ It's true none of you have the power that Faith and I do."

Crossing my arms, I glanced around, seeing that each and every one of the girls were paying attention to Buffy.

"So here's the part where you make a choice. What if you could have that power? Now? In every generation, one Slayer is born because a bunch of men who died thousands of years ago made that rule. They were powerful men. This woman," She pointed at Willow. "is more powerful then all of them combined." The redhead made an uncomfortable face. "So I say we change the rule. I say _my_ power should be _our_ power. Tomorrow, Willow will use the essence of this scythe to change our destiny. From now on, _every_ girl in the world who _might_ be a Slayer _will_ be a Slayer. Every girl who _could_ have the power _will_ have the power. Can't stand up? _Will_ stand up. Slayers. Every one of us."

"Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?" Buffy asked the girls.

~

"Whatcha lookin' at?" I asked, draping my arms over Spike's shoulders as I came up from behind him. He was just sitting in a chair by the table, and I saw the amulet in his hands. "....Be careful." I mumbled. "I don't fancy losing you any time soon."

"I hate to tell you this, love," He heavily sighed. "but there's no tellin' what's going to happen. Don't even know what this sodding thing does." The vampire mumbled, flipping the mostly transparent jewel between his fingers. "Other than that, those fugly blokes better worry about _me._ "

Clenching my jaw, I rested my chin on his shoulder while wrapping my arms around him in a sort of hug.

"So what are they doing up there to pass the time?"

"Playing D&D or watching movies and fretting." I replied.

"And you're down here with the cellar dwellar." Spike popped off. Sighing through my nose, I grabbed the necklace from him and set it on the table. Moving to be in front of him, I threw a leg over his seat and straddled his lap before setting my cheek on his collarbone.

"Deal with it." I mumbled, and his left hand began to comfortingly stroke my back. He didn't really have a heart beat for me to listen to with him being dead and all, but every now and then it would thump to simply keep circulation. I mean, how else would a vampire's nutrition get through their system?

"Trust me, I'm not complainin', pet." Spike softly said.

"....Will you still love me no matter what you see tomorrow?"

"What sort of question is that?" The vampire asked and I sat up to look him in the eye.

"You've never seen what all I can do." I mumbled. "The Watchers' Council taught me ways of human combat, but that's not going to get me far with tomorrow's battle."

"What do you mean?"

"I haven't done it since I was child and I was much weaker then, so I'm not even sure what will happen if I do it now." I watched as his expression grew more serious. "I already talked to Buffy about it and she agreed, but I'm going to have to rely fully on my demon half." Gesturing with my hands, I saw his confusion and furrowed my brows. "I-I'm not quite sure how to explain it, but I can sort of....tap into my demon blood, if that makes any sense at all? Hold on-" Reaching over to the table, I picked up the journal and flipped it open.

"Just give me a sec, it's mentioned in here somewhere." Skimming through the pages, I got to around the middle of the book before finding it. Turning the journal to Spike, I pointed to the drawing on one of the pages. "This. I can do this." His brows rose up on his forehead as he looked at it.

"....Uh-huh. And why have we never seen this before?"

"I haven't needed to do it." I answered, looking down at the journal. "Last time I did it was back in the circus. Only once, though, because well...."

"Usually too cold."

"Exactly. It didn't last long, but I _know_ I can do this. It takes a lot, and I just don't know what exactly will happen since I have human blood."

"Aud, I love you no matter what. Even if you somehow turned into just a....a chaos demon- all covered in drippy slime and what all." I actually snorted while laughing at the lighthearted joke.

~

"Welcome to Sunnydale High. There's no running in the halls, no yelling, no gum chewing. Apart from that, there's only one rule." Robin declared as we entered the school. "If they move, kill them." He turned towards us, putting his fists onto his hips as Buffy spun on her heel.

"Okay, potentials in the basement. Follow Spike and Aud."

"If you have to go to the bathroom, it's to your left." Xander popped off as I heart the many feet following behind the vampire and I. Faith was on my other side, casually looking around the dirty and graffitied halls. "If you don't, think what you're about to face. Better to go now."

I could feel my heart beating with anxiety and anticipation as my bare feet padded on the cool tiles. In preparation for the battle to come, all I wore was a pair of jeans and a tank top- I needed full mobility and freedom to burn without worrying about ruining my favorite shirt or something. Not that it really would have mattered, but it's still not something I'd like to do.

"Buffy tells me you won't be fighting with us. You sure about going off on your own?" Faith mumbled, giving me a concerned look while speaking low enough that the girls couldn't hear.

"Wanna risk getting caught on fire?" I asked.

"Mm, not really." She stretched her arms. "But if you need _any_ help, just.... I'll have your back, man."

"That's a lot when you barely know me."

"What can I say? You're the coolest, half-demon chick I know." The brunette chuckled before we reached the basement door. Taking a deep breath, I went ahead and shifted forms as we were going down the stairs. The girls were still following us, and I could hear the clinking of their weapons as they walked.

Spike walked closer to me, sliding his hand into mine and giving it a gentle squeeze as if to give me reassurance.

"All right, circle around. Get into place for when Buffy gets here." Faith waved her hand, gesturing to around the uncovered seal. It was quiet as no one spoke, the weight of what was about to happen baring down on us more than ever. I stood back by the door with Spike, and the blonde Slayer arrived just as the girls finished getting into place. "You first, B." Faith produced the special knife and handed it over to Buffy.

Without a word, she cut her palm and passed it on, letting each girl in the circle cut their hand to assist in opening the seal. It began to glow as the pointed ends of the pentacle raised to form a peak and descended into the ground. The rest of the seal just slid beneath the dirt, revealing stairs carved into the earth that Buffy led us down.

"Not to be a buzzkill, but my fabulous accessory isn't exactly tingling with power." Spike popped off while looking at the amulet.

"I'm not worried." Buffy replied while looking around the wider opening we stepped into.

"I'm getting zero juice here, and I look like Elizabeth Taylor."

"Cheer up, Liz. Willow's big spell doesn't work, it won't matter _what_ you wear." Faith said and I stepped towards the ledge to see if my ears weren't fooling me. Buffy stood next to me and my heart sank like a heavy stone as my gut felt like it was twisting.

"....I'm not worried." Buffy repeated, looking down into the cavern absolutely _filled_ with Turok Han. Their weapons clinked as they stood shoulder-to-shoulder, growling and roaring. "I'm not worried." The blonde sounded very unconvincing.

"Really? Cause I'm flashing back to Xander's whole bathroom speech." Rona piped up.

"Buffy-"

"I'm _not_ worried. As long as Willow can work her spell before they-" It went quiet down below and I saw their faces collectively turn towards us. "....see us." It was like a stampede as they all began to run towards us, yelling and waving spears and other weapons over their heads. "Aud!" My heart was pounding beneath my rib cage as I was frozen, watching the mass of powerful demons shaking the ground with their movement. "Aud!"

Shaking my head, I backed away from the ledge.

"Right. Right." I shook my hands. "Sorry." Swallowing the lump in my throat, I raised my chin. "See you guys later." Taking a deep breath, I bolted towards the ledge and jumped. "OH, FUUUUCK!" I shouted on the way down out of panic before composing myself and flipping to where my feet faced the ground. The mass of Turok Han and the earth were coming closer and closer by the second, and my hair burst into flames.

Baring my teeth, I strained while growling, making the blaze spread down my arms and spine. Taking a deep breath, I roared with the effort and my entire body was engulfed in fire. I actually formed a crater upon landing, flinging the ubervamps around me back by yards. My tail whipped behind me as I brandished my claws, roaring again as the gap around me was filled in by the swarming Turok Han.

It was extremely hot but I couldn't sweat because every inch of my skin was covered by flames, but I was consistently able to breath fire, burning the demons with my breath. The dim cavern was lit up in a blaze as I spread the inferno with every hit, kick, or mere scratch I gave.

Anything that came into contact with me was devoured in the dancing light, being devoured by the flames until they were nothing but ash. The conflagration spread the more I moved, but more and more Turok Han continued to swarm the cavern from the tunnels and caves they had. My clothes had burned away long ago, but my nudity didn't phase me as I was in a life or death situation. Weapons I grabbed and blocked turned to kindling and embers, only feeding my element until it was all burnt and charred.

Pouncing from one demon to the next, my eyes were wild and my growling was feral. I was creating a pyre in my swath as the bodies built up before turning to dust.

I roared, baring my fangs as a sharp pain stabbed into my side and I looked down to see a spear. Of course, the handle was already blackened and falling away, but the metal tip was beginning to glow from the heat as my blood seeped out like tar. Growling as I clenched my jaw, I yanked it from my flesh and the wound already began to close itself, my muscles and tissue stitching together as I tossed the spear head to the side and continued my onslaught.

The cavern was looking more and more like the common depictions of Hell with the demons and the fire and the chaos. However....as a fire needed fuel....I was running out. I was reaching my limit and needed to carefully make my way back to the entrance on the ledge. Breathing arks of fire, I cleared a path behind and in front of me, continuing to kill as I moved.

My ear twitched as I heard a familiar, vampiric roar through the mayhem of war. Grabbing one Turok Han by the throat, I threw it like a flaming cannonball into a cluster of the demons.

"Spike!" Buffy shouted and there was a bright light coming from above, knocking ubervamps off of the ledge before they exploded into dust and rained down. Panic set in as the flames were dying down on my body and I clawed my way back up to the ledge.

"Everybody out, now!" Faith yelled as I pulled myself back up to where I had jumped off. All the Turok Han that had been on the ledge were gone and the girls that were still alive were running up the stairs to the surface while Spike was standing there, surrounded in a golden light.

"William!" My voice cracked as I ran to him, the fire finally running out just before I reached him. The amulet was glowing, shooting out the light I had seen before that had killed the demons that had been up here.

"I can feel it, Aud." He said so calmly, lowering his gaze to me as my eyes stung. I was scared, not knowing what was going to happen now that the amulet had activated.

"What?"

"My soul. It's really there." He sounded in awe. "Kinda stings." The vampire scoffed.

"Aud!" I heard Buffy shout from up the stairs. "Where's Aud?!"

"Go on, then." Spike jerked his head to the side, gesturing for me to leave.

"No! N-no, you've done enough, you can still-"

"No. You all beat them back, it's for me to do the clean-up."

"Aud, come on!" Buffy yelled, standing in view on the stairs now as the cavern was rumbling and caving in.

"Got to move, lamb. I think it's fair to say school's out for bloody summer." He smiled, looking straight ahead were the ceiling was falling in.

"William-"

"I mean it! I gotta do this." Spike's face scrunched up from pain as the light the amulet gave off became even brighter. I could feel the hot tears running down my cheeks as I took his hand in mine in a similar fashion he had done on our way in here.

I had a momentary panic as our hands caught fire, but his skin wasn't burning and the flames looked golden. Those blue eyes drifted back to me and it felt like my heart was being crushed.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." He softly smiled, and the ground beneath us shook as more of the cavern fell in on itself. "Now, go!" Spike suddenly pushed me back, and I felt someone grab my arms. "I want to see how it ends." The blond smirked as Buffy drug me up the stairs.

"NO!" I screamed, trying to fight her hold on me, but I was just simply too weak after what I had done. I cried harder as the vampire went out of view and it was only when my feet hit outside of the school that I finally started to run on my own. My vision was blurred by smoke and dust in the air and my own tears and I felt torn.

Buffy and I could only escape the school by going to the roof as the other exits were blocked off, and we were now having to run from rooftop to rooftop as the buildings fell apart right behind us. Down below on the road was a bus filled with the survivors, trying to outdo the destruction of the city behind them.

"We need to get on the bus!" Buffy shouted and I darted left, my tail wrapping around her waist as I lept off of the building. Pulling her with me, I landed in the yellow roof and dug my claws into the metal to hold on until the vehicle squealed to a halt just outside of the city limits. Without thinking twice, I let the Slayer go and slid off of the top of the bus, running to the edge of the street.

Where Sunnydale once stood was now nothing more than a massive crater and I fell to my knees, the asphalt biting into my skin as I heard the others getting out of the bus. I was in shock, staring into the giant depression in the Earth as my tears dripped from my chin.

"I....I don't understand. What did this?" I heard Pops ask from a few yards behind me and I snapped.

Throwing my face towards the Heavens I screamed and howled in sorrow. My body was racked with sobbing as I wailed even though my throat burned.

"Spike." Buffy softly replied, but I still heard her as I gave a piercing cry into the vast expanse of desert and destruction before me. The Sunnydale city limits sign a few feet to my side fell into the crater and my wailing no longer even sounded human as my vision was just a blur.

I sounded like a wounded animal, and that's exactly what I was as I felt like I was being hollowed out by grief and pain. Digging my claws into the cracked road, I bared my teeth as the tears just continued to flow.

Barely registering when a jacket was draped over my shoulders, I hardly felt the number of arms wrap around me in an embrace to try and comfort me.


	94. Mr. Sandman, yes, bring us a dream

After Sunnydale had been wiped from the map, we scattered to various corner of the world. Girls on every continent now possessed the power of a Slayer and were coming into a world they knew nothing of, needing guidance from ones that did. Everyone was moving on slowly but surely, but me, on the other hand....I was inconsolable, left in a depression that hid a building rage within me.

It was evident in my mourning how much losing a mate effected an Ustrina Augendae and I wasn't even full blooded. My humanity was the only thing that saved me and I was still reticent and detached.

Well....until I gave into the fury and left Europe where Buffy and Pops had me with them.

~

Exiting the elevator, my face was void of any and all emotion as I calmly walked with determination towards a pair of wooden doors. Slowly inhaling, I made sure I was following the right scent before I nonchalantly raised my foot and kicked the doors in, sending them flying until they smacked against the wall of windows and fell to the ground. I heard gasps behind me and simply strolled into the office.

Sliding off my jacket, I flung it to the side and rolled my shoulders.

"Did we have an appointment?" The brunette male questioned, standing in front of his desk while holding an open file. Without warning, I dropped all concentration on keeping my human form and rushed at him while growling. Pouncing, I knocked him onto the desk, sending papers and files to the floor as I pinned him down.

"You killed him!" I snarled, seeing the man's eyes widen in surprise as I grabbed the front of his shirt. " _You_ did this!" My hair burst into flames before I pulled my fist back. He was trying to remove the hand now clasped around his throat and was inevitably failing. His head jerked to the side as I punched him, and I reared back for another blow.

"Angel!" A woman screamed behind me, seeing me repeatedly punching the vampire beneath me on top of his desk. His blood was beginning to cover my knuckles as he simply couldn't get me off of himself due to my brute strength and leverage. "Security!"

I was snarling and growling, switching out fists as my tail whipped behind me.

"You _killed_ him! You stupid son-of-a-" I said between hits before I froze at a new voice saying my name.

"....Aud?" I didn't want to believe my ears as I raised my head, and Angel coughed up blood as I still held him down. "Oh, my God, are you wailin' on-" My eyes watered as I heard him chuckle and looked over my shoulder.

Without saying a word, I slid off of the desk, letting the brunette go as security guards flooded the room. Off to the side, I even saw the woman that had screamed as I hesitantly stepped towards the man in the center of the room.

"How can you people be so cruel?" My voice cracked. "What magic is this? Stop it!" I was crying yet again that day and fell to my knees.

"Wha- No! No, no, Aud, it's actually me!" The visage of Spike waved his hands as he looked down at me, and the tears only came harder as I gazed into those blue eyes.

"Stop it....please....I can't-" I choked on my own words as I raised my hands to cover my mouth. "You people are sick and sadistic! Stop this!"

"No, love, listen to me!" Spike's face twisted with pain as he crouched in front of me. "Shh, pet, it's all right." He reached out a hand to touch my cheek, but I felt nothing and he seemed to be in more pain as he pulled his hand back.

"....Spike, do you know her?" The woman cautiously stepped towards me.

"Of course I bloody know her, she's-"

"Aud?" My gaze drifted to the door and I saw a familiar face. I lunged at him, the fire on my head going out just before I smacked right into the man and buried my face into his chest while hugging him.

"Wesley, make them stop this." Sniffling, my claws poked holes into his jacket as I clung to it. The man hesitantly placed a hand onto my back, and I didn't really question why the ex-Watcher was here.

"U-Um, Aud, I'm not sure I, uh, understand what you- ....Oh."

"Aud, look at me! I'm not fake, it's really me!" My ears drooped low, and Wesley sighed while patting my back.

"Aud, that's not an illusion. That's....actually Spike. More or less, anyways. Oh! Angel?!" The man finally noticed the state the brunette vampire was in as he groaned in pain. "O-Okay, I see what's going on here. Uh, Fred, could you, um....get security out of here?"

"Sure. Right. Yeah." And I heard many pairs of feet slowly walk past.

"What do you mean that's actually him?" My brows furrowed as I raised my head to look at Wesley.

"The-the ' _amulet_ '-" His eyes widened as I growled while my gaze shot towards Angel. "It-it sort of has him trapped between dimension in a way, so he's a ghost of-of sorts, but Spike _isn't_ a magical illusion." Wesley talked quickly. Turning around, I looked right at the bleached blond with agony in his eyes.

"If it makes you feel better, love, I can tell you something only I would know."

"Do it." I sniffed, wiping my face with the back of my arm.

"You eat an ungodly amount of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."

"Common knowledge."

"Right." He pursed his lips. "Oh! That night the Scoobies took all the girls out for dinner, you stayed behind to clean the kitchen because, honestly, it looked like a tornado had been through there. You had the, uh, radio playin' and _Dancing With Myself_ came on." He seemed to glance at Wesley before rolling his eyes and raising his shoulders. "We ended up dancing around the kitchen to Billy Idol until you tripped me with your tail and we were laying on the floor just havin' a laugh. If that's not convincing enough for you, how about the fact that the first time you hugged me was because I gave you a box of bleeding _crackers_."

"Oh, my God."

~

"So, you're tellin' me.... _this_ is Giles' adoptive daughter?" Angel pointed at me while pacing and rubbing his forehead. After calming down, I healed him out of guilt and was now sitting in a leather chair with my elbows on my knees and my hands clasped over my mouth.

"Yes." Wesley replied, tilting his head as he crossed his arms.

"And she's a half-demon?" The man they called Gun quirked up a brow.

"Yes. Though, the last time I was with the Council, we had no clue what-"

"Ustrina Augendae." I stated.

"Excuse me?"

"Ustrina Augendae. Found out right before I died."

"You- What?!" Wesley made a face and it was rather strange seeing the once very clean-cut man all scruffy and rugged looking.

"When Buffy died the last time- well, guess who else did too."

"And what, exactly, _is_ an Ustrina Augendae?" The woman that had introduced herself as Winifred asked.

"Demon from another dimension." Spike sighed, sticking his hands into his jacket pockets. "Hard to kill, fiery, stronger than a sodding elephant. Hunted to near extinction because of the properties of their blood."

"Healing vampires?" Gun gun furrowed his brows.

"Demons, gods, everything in between. Doesn't work on humans, though, unless they're a Slayer. But they were mostly hunted because they can enhance magic." The bleached blond replied as I was still just staring straight ahead, trying to process everything.

"Excuse me, ' _enhance magic_ '?" Angel waved a hand.

"Yeah. You get blood, hair, whatever- use it in a spell and what was once a poof is now a c4 explosion or a nuke depending on how you use it." Spike explained. "Willow found it rather handy."

"....Add all of that on top of Aud's skills and you've got a nearly indestructible force." Wesley took off his glasses while shifting on his feet and looking away.

"Yeah, sure. Indestructible." Angel scoffed.

"It took me _less_ than a second to have you pinned on that desk and two to have you spitting up blood. If I wanted you dead without suffering, you'd be a pile of ash already." My eyes drifted to the brunette vampire and he made a face.

"You took me by surprise. Off guard." He said defensively.

"Had Faith in a headlock and ready to pop her head off in a few seconds, too, so don't feel too bad about it." Spike smirked.

"Okay, but I didn't know it was Faith. Don't make it sound like just attacked her."

"And how many of your kind are here?" Winifred questioned.

"Just me. My mother came here before I was born- that's how I got the human half. Everything I know about Ustrina Augendae came from a journal that was delivered to me by some demon. As far as I know, the journal's authentic and pretty old." I rubbed my hands on my face.

"Would you mind if I see it? I can have my team analyze it and-"

"It's back in Europe with Pops. I didn't really think to bring it with me since I, uh, came here to kill Angel and all." Cringing, I looked at said vampire. "Which, I'd like to apologize for. In my grief I blamed you because you gave Buffy that amulet."

"And now?"

"Let's just say, I don't want to scatter your guts around this office anymore." My gaze then shifted to Spike as my eyes narrowed. "You, on the other hand, I could strangle you."

"What? What the bloody Hell did I do?"

"It's been a _month_ since you died. And from what I hear, you haven't been exactly _dead_ that long."

"I've been dead for over-"

"You know _exactly_ what I mean, you twit. You may not be able to pick up a phone, but you damn well could have asked someone to do it for you." Getting to my feet, I stood rather close while pointing at Spike. "Do you have _any_ idea what I've been through? You better be glad you're incorporeal or I'd make you wish you were never born." I lowly growled.

"Oh, who's the little spitfire putting blondie in his place?" Looking over my shoulder, I saw a green skinned demon walk in. He was dressed rather well and had small red horns and crimson eyes. "And what happened to the door? Hi, I'm Lorne." The demon held his hand out to me and I politely shook it.

"Aud Giles, and I happened to the door."

"And what brings you here, cupcake? Got some trouble you need fixing that only we can handle? Or just wanting to employ our services?" Lorne grinned, his red lips parting to show extremely white teeth.

"She's my wife." Spike popped off and Wesley seemed to choke on his own spit.

"I am not!"

"That's not what your folks would say."

"You two are married?" Angel looked confused while pointing at the blonde and I.

"No."

"Yes."

"Oh, my God, Spike! We are _not_ married!"

"Then....?" Gunn looked between us while making a face and I sighed as I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"According to the Ustrina culture, Spike and I would technically be ' _married'_." I gave air quotes while explaining. "To them, _sex_ is marriage."

"Yikes. I wonder how high the divorce rate is among your people." Lorne chuckled.

"We mate for life." I pinched the bridge of my nose harder.

"Yeah, so we might as well say we're married, pet."

"Okay, whatever. Now, _I've_ got questions. First off, where the Hell did _you_ get that amulet?" Looking at Angel, he just sighed and waved his hand to gesture to the office. "And you swear you had no clue what it would have done?"

"The original plan was for me to wear it." Angel put his hands onto his hips.

"Okay, got it. Now you. I think it's only fair that I know what kind of demon you are." I told Lorne.

"We got a little something in common." He grinned. "I'm from a different dimension, too. Pylea, to be more exact. And, uh, don't let the name intimidate you, but I'm a Deathwok."

"It's a race of empath demons." Wesley added, and my attention turned to him as he was fixing his glasses.

"All right, and how do you explain yourself?" I rose a brow at the ex-Watcher.

"....What? I-I don't think I quite understand what you mean."

"The last time I saw you, you were a scrawny, little stiff. Basic, run-of-the-mill Watcher automaton. Now look at you- scruffy, actually not in a suit, and most shockingly of all, _muscular_." I poked his chest. "When the Hell did that happen?"

"Right, uh," He cleared his throat while shifting on his feet. "after leaving the council, I sort of became a rogue demon hunter." Wesley nodded. "I ran into Angel on one of my hunts and eventually joined him in the fight against evil."

"Mm, you still pretty much talk the same."

"Why does that sound like an insult?"

"Maybe because you sound like a nerd." Spike popped off and Wesley rolled his eyes.

"Wait, does he curse now?" I glanced to the curly haired woman and she chuckled.

"Yes."

"Oh, my God, who are you?"


	95. Give him a pair of eyes with a come-hither gleam

"You lookin' for somebody?" I questioned, wandering into a lab and looking over Wesley's shoulder.

"Oh, my God! Aud, you nearly gave me a heart attack." The ex-Watcher had a hand over his heart.

"Hey, who let you in here?" Looking up, I saw Angel walking towards me.

"Me. I break into your office _yesterday_ and you're just now asking this?"

"Just to give you a head's up, Angel, there's no keeping Aud out of _anywhere_. You can thank the Watchers' Council for that." Wesley sighed as he turned back to what he was doing.

"Okay, but how in the world can she get past all of the security? This isn't even the first floor."

"It was actually easier getting into the upper floors than the bottom floors."

"What?"

"Because of the security on the lower floors, the people the further up you go are less likely to question if you're supposed to be there or not." I explained and Angel made a face while putting his hands onto his hips. "Not to mention I'm a demon and an apex predator."

"Okay, then what the Hell are you doing here?"

"You really think I'm gonna leave when my mate is stuck here?"

"God, it's weird hearing you say that. Especially when it's about 'Spike'." Wesley popped off.

"So, like I was asking, you guys trying to find someone?" I asked.

"Yes, so unless you know something, get out of here so we can work." Angel was handed a file by someone in a lab coat and he dropped his gaze to look at it.

"Depends, you got something of theirs?"

"Why do you ask?" Winifred looked over her shoulder from the table a few feet away.

"I'm a hunter. I can track."

"How far?" She startled fumbling with things on her desk.

"Miles. Not sure the max, but I can follow a scent rather well."

"Can you go with blood?" She asked me and I nodded.

"If they're wounded."

"Angel?"

"....Go ahead." He grumbled, and the woman drug me towards a cooler room in the back were a body was.

"Why are you showing me a dead werewolf?" I rose a brow

"Oh, it's not just any werewolf." The guy taking pictures of the body pointed. "Lycanthropus exterus. Very rare, bipedal compared to most."

"We need to find a girl that he bit last night. We couldn't get much off of him about her except some trace blood samples that got sent to the psychics to get a read. Maybe with you being an Ustrina Augendae you could perhaps get a bit more." Fred gestured to the body and I sighed through my nose.

"Never thought my day would start with sniffing dead guys."

"Ustrina Augendae? I don't think I've ever heard of that. What-"

"Long story." I cut the man off while leaning over the table. "From a different dimension, rare, yada-yada-ya, don't piss me off."

"You gettin' Aud to track down the girlie?" I heard Spike walk up.

"Gonna try." The brunette woman replied.

"Catch her after she goes all growly, won't be easy taking her out. I had a wee spat with a werewolf myself once. Fought for over an hour. Brutal. Vicious. Almost lost my-"

"Angel killed him with a pen." Fred stated and Spike's face fell.

"This guy stinks to high Heaven, but I smell the girl. Where was the last place you guys knew where she was? I can pick up the trail there."

~

"....I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I wasn't sure how. Not to mention I didn't really get what was going on with me either." Spike suddenly said after we were walking in silence for about twenty minutes now. He had tagged along with me to find this chick, and Fred had given me a dart gun just in case to prevent harming the bitten girl.

"I understand. It is a bit to....get used to." I rubbed the back of my neck. "But at least things are easier now."

"What do you mean?" He quirked up a brow at me and I sighed through my nose.

"After you- ....After Sunnydale, I fell into an extreme depression. Is was acceptable at first, but....I couldn't bring myself to eat most of the time, I hardly left my room, it was just....it was bad. Faith's swan comparison kinda put it lightly."

"Aud, I'm so s-"

"Don't." I shook my head. "It's not your fault. But, hey, I'm already multiple times better." Smiling at the blond, I raised my shoulders. "Look at me. I'm outside. Back in the game and talking to people. You may not be corporeal, but you're here and it helps."

"Still bloody frustrating though." Spike put his hands into his pockets.

"I know what you mean." I mumbled, crossing my arms as I took a deep inhale to make sure I was still on the right track. It was weird being able to _see_ Spike, but not being able to smell him or feel him. It hurt to not be able to reach out and touch him after everything that had happened, but there was nothing I could do about it. I just had to accept things as they were until a way was found to give him back physical form.

We fell back into silence and night came as I was walking for miles through L.A. It was hard to follow the scent because of it not being that strong and that's what took most of the time, but I eventually got to a house and climbed up to the second story. There was an open window and I peeked inside, seeing a rather large werewolf and shredded clothes on the floor.

"Aunt Nina, are you okay?" I heard a little girl's voice on the other side of the closed door and I had to act fast. Reaching in through the window, I grabbed a pillow from the window seat and threw it at the werewolf to get it's attention. She growled, jumping right at me and I dodged to the side, letting her fall to the ground in front of the house.

Pulling out the tranquilizer gun, I shot her as she was getting back up and jumped off of the roof as she went back down.

"Now what?" Spike popped off.

"I drag her back, I guess." Looking around, I found a red wagon and rolled the unconscious werewolf into it. Wrapping my tail around the wagon's handle, I pulled the werewolf to the sidewalk and thanked my luck that it was night. It wasn't until I was four blocks away that a van pulled up next to me on the road and the window rolled down to show Angel's face.

"You already got her?"

"No, I found a random bipedal werewolf and put it in a stolen child's wagon because I felt like it."

"How about we trade the wagon for a van?" Wesley questioned as he opened the side door.

"You'll get no complaints from me." I replied, but my brows knit together as I looked around.

"What's wrong?"

"Spike. He was with me."

"He probably popped out." Angel suggested.

"Popped out?"

"Sometimes he just vanishes. Side-effect of being Casper."

"Oh." Looking around again, I couldn't help but feel worried.

~

"So....the entourage" Nina looked to Fred. "All this for me?"

"Um, no- Well, yeah, kind of. I-I mean, it's just in case you, you know."

"Run away?"

"It's-It's not like you're a prisoner. You're _totally_ not. It's just...."

"Really important that you don't run with tonight being another full moon." I said.

"This is just so-" Nina scoffed. "I should be in ceramics class right now. We're learning raku. Seems like somebody else's life." She looked down while nervously rubbing her arm.

"Nina, it's just three nights a month, not even days." Fred tried to give a reassuring smile. Your life doesn't have to change....much."

"How do you- You're not a monster too, are you?"

"Nope. Standard issue science nerd. I did spend five years in a demon dimension till Angel saved me." The brunette replied and Nina looked at me.

"Half human, half demon."

"....Right." And she continued to talk to Fred as we rode in the van to her house to pick up a few things. I sat between two humans armed to the teeth and stretched my arms and legs out in front of me.

Pulling up to Nina's house, the man in the passenger seat opened the side door for us and we climbed out of the van. We only got a few steps towards the house before the blond turned on her heel and was nervously fidgeting.

"I change my mind." Nina stated.

"I could go in first, explain-" Fred waved a hand.

"No, let's just-"

"Hey. Nina, right?" I gently grabbed her arm to keep her from going back to the van. She nodded and I spoke calmly to her. "I know you're scared, and I get that, but running away isn't going to help."

"What about fleeing? Can I flee?" She asked as I lead her up to the door.

"Maybe they're not even here." Fred said lowly as we entered the house, but as soon as we did I knew that wasn't the case.

"What the Hell happened to you? I've been worried sick!" A woman came around the corner that looked similar to Nina. "Who are you people?"

"I'm Fred. It's-"

"I come home, and you're just _gone_. Amanda was _terrified_." The woman waved her hands.

"Jill, I'm sorry."

"Who leaves the house without their purse or keys?" She picked up a purse on a shelf for emphasis. "What'd you do, jump out the window?" 'Yes.' I mentally answered.

"I thought Amanda heard me say I was leaving."

"Oh, that's great. Blame it on a nine-year-old." Jill gave Nina a look.

"It's my fault." Fred stepped up. "I called Nina, like, totally suicidal 'cause this guy in our ceramics class dumped me. A-and then my car got towed and she wanted to call, but my cell phone battery-"

"Do you mind, whoever you are?" The woman cut Fred off with a raised hand. "This has nothing to do with you."

"Leave her alone." Nina took a step in front of the brunette.

"Oh, like how you left Mandy alone? In the house? At night? Do you know she didn't want to go to school today? I had to lie. Tell her I'd heard from you." Jill raised her voice.

"Shut up. Just shut up!"

"I called the police! I thought- ....You sleep all day. You've got bruises you don't remember getting. Just tell me- what's going on?"

"I'm sorry about last night, but you can't count on me all the time." Nina popped off.

"Since when?"

"Just find another babysitter." And Nina grabbed her purse before leaving. Fred grabbed a few things for Nina before we left the house and started walking back towards the van.

"So, she was yelling and furious, but that's good. It means, you know, she cares." Fred smiled.

"If something happened to Amanda-"

"But it didn't- and it's not going to."

"You don't know that."

"Angel- ....That's weird." Fred paused, seeing the door to the van partially opened.

"Oh, not good. Not good- Run!" I ushered the women away from the vehicle and Fred pulled out a large dart gun from her bag. The side of a brown van opened and men dressing in black and ski masks ran out. Fred took some of them down with tranquilizers, and I felt a sting on my shoulder when one of the men shot me.

Growling, I bared my teeth and advanced on the ones grabbing Nina. There were a few more stings and I looked down to see darts sticking out of me as my vision was growing dark. My body was getting heavier and heavier, but I was down yet.

Until the next round of tranqs hit me and I fell flat on my face.

~

I woke up sputtering as I was being shot with cold water. Jolting to my senses, I realized my hands were were over my head and I was dangling from chains as my feet barely touched the floor. Baring my teeth, my hair lit on fire as I growled at the man holding a hose. I got sprayed again as a round woman in a white coat came in.

Coughing up the water, the woman grabbed the bottom of my shirt and produced a pair of scissors and cut the soaked fabric. I tried to snap at her, but I found that my range was limited by a metal collar chained to the floor. Trying to kick, I found my legs in the same situation and struggled against the rattling chains.

"Let me out now and I won't slaughter you when I get out." I growled, but their faces didn't change as the woman finished cutting my shirt off. She dropped it to the floor and snipped the straps of my bra. The woman flinched when I roared in her face, but she went back to working as if she was used to this sort of thing. Once I was naked, I was hosed down again and the woman produced a rag and started cleaning me.

Taking in a deep breath, I spit fire and burned the woman's coat. She yelped in surprise, but the man with the hose had her covered and now she was soaked too. Roaring in anger, I squirmed in the chains while spreading the flames to the entirety of my body. Breathing more fire, the woman rushed out of the room, as did the man, and I expected the chains to start melting but instead they began to glow with magic.

Yelling and roaring while struggling, I had the entire room filled with fire, but nothing I did was working. My tail was whipping back and forth in an aggressive display until I was just hanging there and growling lowly.

Hours seemed to pass, and no one came into the room until well after the fire had died out. I was tranqed yet again by a man in black combat gear.

~

I heard clapping as I came to and could smell humans, magic, and the strong scent of earthy plants. My mouth felt dry and I bit down on a cloth gag.

I'm killing these bastards.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming together on such a short notice. We have a very _rare_ and _special_ treat for you tonight, followed by a rather _exotic_ dessert. Moonrise is in 15 minutes. Shortly thereafter dinner will be served." A man spoke up after the clapping died and my chest shook with a growl as I jerked at my limbs that were locked down. "Oh, perfect timing. Now, you're all in for a treat after dinner. This demon right here is called an Ustrina Augendae and this specimen is the _only_ one in this dimension. They were hunted for their pelts and blood as they possess magic ' _enhancing_ ' properties. It is said that performing magic with one leaves a sweet and spicy taste on the tongue, so one can only imagine how it will actually taste."

_'These fuckers are gonna try to eat me?!'_ I thought, struggling harder as I smelled Nina as well. Looking around, I saw fancily dressed people mingling while sipping champagne and found that the earthy plant smell was because I was laying on on vegetables and incredibly green leaves.

"When I dined on werewolf in Seville the cocinera used an understated mole sauce to bring out the meat's tanginess. I've never forgotten that exquisite burst of taste. But Chef Renault swears serving it anaise with a light drizzle of white truffle oil will be quietly surprising." I heard the man from before speaking to a few other people now.

Being only able to really listing, I heard a clatter and the talk in the room died down.

"Evan. You've brought guests."

"We're just here to pick up some friends." Angel's voice was clearly heard before the cocking of a gun and a woman screamed. "Geez, they garnished you?"

"No, get away. Just let them choke on me." Now it was Nina's voice followed by a loud clang.

"Listen to me. Tomorrow you're gonna be home."

"This is what I am. I can't go back there, ever. This is better."

"Nothing's better about ending up in a doggie bag." There was more clanging and I chewed through the gag finally. Licking my lips, I then snarled.

"Get me off of this God damned table and I'll take care of all these fucking bastard!"

"Aud, they're huma-" Wesley cut off as I heard several guns cocking.

"Oh, my- GET ME OFF THIS FUCKING TABLE BEFORE I BURN ALL OF YOU BITCHES TO ASH!" I roared, rattling the table as I jerked my limbs and bucked. "THE LAST FUCKING THING YOU'LL SEE ARE MY TEETH CRUSHING YOUR WINDPIPES AS I OBLITERATE YOUR SKULLS WITH MY FIST! YOU'LL SMELL THE FLESH MELTING OFF OF YOUR BONES AS I TURN YOU ALL INTO FLAME FODDER!" And Nina was in her werewolf form and flying off of the table she had been on, killing a man before getting hit with a dart.

"This is the part where we take our friends and go."

"I'm afraid not. Tonight may not be salvageable but my guests have paid a high price, some higher than others. And I promised them a werewolf and an Ustrina Augendae."

Nina, in a last bought of consciousness, bit someone on the leg.

"....I can't promise you an Ustrina, but you'll have your werewolf a month from now."

"STOP FUCKING TALKING AND GET ME OFF OF HERE, YOU MOTHERFU-" Wesley sighed and cut my shouting and growling short by shooting me with a tranquilizer. It took a few darts because of the adrenalin, but the drugs eventually won out.


	96. Give him a lonely heart like Pagliacci

Breathing in deeply, I stretched out and yawned while rolling onto my back as I woke up. I could smell coffee and sat up in the pile of bean bags I had drug together to form a bed.

"Morning, Aud. Sleep well?" Wesley asked from his desk with a flat tone.

"Wonderfully. Which?"

"I highly doubt I'd drink coffee from a zombie mug." He raised his brows, not bothering to look up from the paperwork in front of him. Standing, I stretched out my arms while walking to the desk to pick up one of the mugs. "Plan on finally finding an apartment today?"

"Again, I repeat myself, I have no money. Spent it all on the plane ticket and cab. You think I'd be sleeping in your office if I had a choice?"

"Could have fooled me. You look like the cat that got the canary lounging about and stealing food from the break rooms. People are starting to refer to you as the office's stray." The ex-Watcher told me as I sipped from my mug.

"Well, I have no where else to go. Can't go back to Europe, I'll just fall back into that horrible rut because of Spike being stuck back here." My tail twitched as I sighed. "Find anything on that demon I told you about?"

"It was a Dracos. Mostly fighters and mercs, but an overall neutrally aligned race." Wesley finally looked up and leaned back in his chair. "Can't tell you about the demon he got the journal from, but I have a feeling where it came from to begin with."

"A feeling? Where?"

"There's records of something going missing from the archives around that time. There's also implications that what had gone missing very well may be that journal." I paused as our gazes met and I didn't like the thought that the journal came from Wolfram & Heart. "I'll keep digging, okay?"

"Okay." I nodded, dropping my eyes to my mug.

"How about you get out of the pajamas for once and go see Fred?"

"I'm not sick, Wesley."

"And I'm not saying you are. After the loss of the Council, it'd be helpful to have some sort of record of you in case we come across anything similar in the future." He reached over to pick up his coffee and I turned on my heel.

"If I'm having to go through some poking and prodding, I'm staying in my pajamas." Waving over my shoulder, I heard him sigh. "I'll tell Fred you said hi."

"Morning, Aud." I glanced over at Angel's secretary and paused while looking at her grinning face.

"Morning, Harmony. I see you changed your perfume."

"Well, it was really gross with you sneezing every time you were near me. Like....extremely gross."

"Mm." I hummed, raising my mug to my lips. "This one smells better anyway."

"Really?" She lit up.

"Yeah."

"Thank you."

"Mm." Humming again, I continued my walk to Fred's lab.

"Hi, Aud. What brings you in here today?" The brunette woman smiled at me from over a microscope.

"Wesley says hi, and I'm here for the bloody physical."

"Oh! We're finally doing that? Okay, just give me a second to get stuff together." She raised her hand and hurried off, leaving me standing there while drinking my coffee.

~

"....I'm not sure what I walked into, but I'm still debating whether I like it or not." Glancing over, I saw Spike standing there with his hands in his pockets.

"Shut up, blood-breath. This isn't a porno." I flipped him off while still holding my arms out at my sides as Fred was currently taking measurements of my bare chest. I was in my full demonic form, letting the brunette measure and scribble down the various parts of my body ranging from the length of my tail to even my teeth.

"Yes, this is purely scientific." Fred dropped the measuring tape to write down the number she got. "Please have a seat so I can get the width of your paws." She pointed to a round, rolling chair with that crinkly paper covering it. Sitting down, I waited until she stood in front of me with the measuring tape and raised my foot. "Oh, these little paw pads are adorable!"

"Spike, I swear, if you say anything-"

"I'm not." The bleached blond said while chuckling. "So what's with all the numbers here?"

"Well, with Aud being the only one of her kind in this world, we need a detailed record as comparison if another were to ever show. Aud went almost all this time not having a clue about what she is, and this will be helpful in preventing that." Fred replied. "Also, it's good just to have these things written down. Hand, please." And she began to measure my claws and the width of my palm.

"So what brought you back here? Door was clearly closed."

"Just wondering where you went since you were neither nappin' in the bookworm's office or raiding the fridges."

"Oh, how sweet." I smirked.

"What?"

"You were worried I had left."

"Was not. Stop making that face."

"Were too."

~

"Right now?" I heard Angel asking Spike as I walked over. The bleached blond looked rather stressed and frustrated as he was pacing.

"Yes. Right now, right here. Piss off!" He growled through clenched teeth at nothing. "I'm trying to have a conversation here. Shut up! _I don't care._ "

"What the Hell is going on? Who's he talking to?" I asked while furrowing my brows.

"Ghosts." Angel replied.

"Where?" Fred questioned.

"Everywhere! The _blighters_ are coming out of the woodwork." Spike answered. "No, I am not talking to you. Go away!" He spun on his heel, his posture tense as he was shouting at something I couldn't see.

"We just checked with security." Gunn said as he walked up with some chick.

"They do hourly sweeps with the mystics to secure against spectral intrusion." She stated.

"So how many are we dealing with?"

"Uh, none. Last sweep was ten minutes ago. Spike's the only non-corporeal in the building." Gunn explained and the blond's head whipped to the side as if he heard something.

"Check again."

"Spike, what exactly are you seeing?" I questioned and he looked me in the eye.

"People. Dead. Bloody, rotting, falling apart, everything in between. Spooks of all shapes and bloody sizes." He waved his hand.

"Maybe we should go back to the lab." Fred suggested.

"No. I'm telling you they are here. You have to check again. Something is happening. Fred, please. You have to use that perfect brain of yours and get me the Hell-"

"Spike?" My tail twitched as he just faded out of sight.

"Where'd he go?"

"It's okay. He does this sometimes." Angel waved it off while shrugging.

"We should spread out, see if we can find him. We just need to find him." Everyone left as I still stood there and clutched my shirt over my heart. Taking in a deep, slow breath, I calmly let it out to keep myself calm before going off to find Spike.

Looking in every office and room I came across, it was just dark room after dark room because of it being after hours. My tail began to twitch more the longer I was looking and I didn't like this one bit.

~

"Aud, just calm down. He'll pop back up eventually."

"Calm down? Calm down?! He's been slipping into Hell and _no one_ bothered to tell me? And now he's seeing things that may or may not be there- and _missing_ to top it all off! You all may not like him, but don't tell me to just ' _calm down_ '." I ranted while pacing in front of the table. "None of you know where he is or if he'll even come back this time around- It's hard enough having to deal with the fact that he's got the constitution of fucking fog."

"All right, let's get to it." A blonde woman in a tight, red dress entered the room. "Eve tells me you've lost a ghostie."

"Well, he's not actually a ghost technically. He's more of a-"

"Yeah, whatever." She cut Fred off. "Now, I have Pilates at the crack of why-am-I-awake, so we're gonna move this right along." She took a seat at the table. "You, sit down." She pointed at me and I hesitated, but took a seat next to Fred. "I will mutter a few calming words to get us into the zone and then we'll see if we can scare up your missing spook. Okay, clear your minds, which judging by the looks of you, won't be that hard."

"Should we hold hands?"

"Only if you're lonely. Now zip it, and let me do my sweet funky." The woman took a deep breath while holding out her hands with her palms facing the ceiling before turning them over to the top of the table. "I call upon the Guardian of Souls, the Keeper of the Passage. Let our breath flow from what is to what is past. Bless us with the presence of the lost. Grant us communion with the world beyond our reach. Give voice to those who can no longer be heard. I beseech you open your gates, reveal your secrets." Her voice was soft as her eyes were closed until they suddenly opened. "I sense a presence. Very close.So much pain."

"He's in pain?" Swallowing, I nervously fiddled with the end of my sleeve.

"The dark soul. So much suffering. ....It's coming. It's coming." Her breathing started to pick up along with her heart rate. "Oh, God, I can feel it. The dark soul. It's here." The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I felt like something was off. "It's.... It's...." My ear twitched and I stood so fast that the backs of my knees sent my chair flying as I turned around with my teeth bared. I looked, but I saw nothing, however I didn't feel like there was nothing.

"Aud, what is it?"

"It's the R-" The blonde woman was cut off by a yelp as her hands clawed at her throat as if she were being choked. Blood was starting to drip from her nose and everyone became uneasy.

"Spike, stop it." Angel slid back his chair. "Let her go." The woman the stopped struggling and sat up straight. I could hear her heart racing and I 'knew' this wasn't Spike.

"....Are you all right?" Fred asked just before the medium coughed up blood, spraying it across the table before she fell dead.

"What the Hell was that?" Gunn questioned after closing the doors that separated the long table from the rest of Angel's office. "I know they used to call Spike William the Bloody, but why would he go all scanners on her?"

"He wouldn't." Wesley stated. "No advantage in it to kill someone trying to help him."

"You saying it was an accident?"

"Or whatever she contacted wasn't the dark soul we were expecting."

"So if she wasn't talking about Spike...."

"Then there's something else here at Wolfram & Hart. Something else a Hell of a lot worse." Gunn and Wesley turned to look at me.

"What?"

"You sensed something just before...." The ex-Watcher glanced to the room where the dead woman was. "Your ear twitched. What did you hear?"

"....Footsteps." I replied. "And, call it primal instinct, but I felt like I was in danger."

~

"Got it. The dark soul." Gunn pointed in a book he was holding.

"What's it say?" Wesley asked.

"A lot. There are over 3,200 different references. Four of 'em are about you." Gunn looked to Angel and the vampire got up from the couch he was sitting on to take a look in the book.

"What? Give me that."

"This is getting us nowhere."

"Oh, that's not fair. I didn't even have a soul when I did that."

"There has to be a way to narrow this down." I rubbed my forehead.

"Reaper! Cross reference with the word Reaper." Fred quickly came in while putting on a cardigan, her hair still wet from showering to get the blood off of herself.

"Where'd you pull that?"

"It came to me in the shower."

"Here it is. Matthias Pavayne, dark soul number 182." Angel pointed in the book he had gotten from Gunn.

"Pavayne." Wesley looked as if he recognized the name and went over to his desk.

"Well, there's not much here. European aristocrat, 18th century. He was a doctor nicknamed ' _The Reaper_ ' for performing unnecessary surgery on his patients."

"What kind of surgery?" Fred asked.

"The kind you don't recover from." The ex-Watcher answered. "There's a file on him in internal archives, classified histories." He glanced up briefly from the laptop opened in front of himself.

"He worked for Wolfram & Hart?"

"Not exactly. Word spread of his unorthodox practices. Fled to California, still under Spanish rule at the time. His arrival coincided with a rash of brutal ritualistic murders. Pieces of the victims placed in a manner suggesting an intimate knowledge of the dark arts."

"Pieces?"

"The slaughter continued for the better part of 20 years. The perpetrator was never caught. At least, not by authorities." Wesley explained.

"Are you saying Wolfram & Hart took this guy out?" Angel furrowed his brows.

"Why would they do that?"

"Sounds like their idea of employee of the month." Gunn popped off.

"Because they needed his blood. _'Representatives from Wolfram & Hart were looking to build a new branch in what would eventually become Los Angeles. Unfortunately, a Spanish mission was already on the site their seers recommended.'_" Wesley read off. "They needed an appropriate sacrifice to deconsecrate the grounds."

"So this place is built on the blood of a mass-murdering psychopath?" Fred questioned.

"It would appear so." Wesley sighed.

"How fitting." I huffed.

"But if Pavayne's half as bad as he sounds he should've been roasting his chestnuts in Hell centuries ago." Gunn put his hands into his pockets as Angel set the large book he had onto the edge of the desk.

"You said something about the dark arts, right? Maybe he knew enough to figure out a way to stick around."

"Might explain why the mystics can't get a bead on him too." Fred glanced around.

"What I still don't get are all the ghosts in Wolfram & Hart."

"But there aren't any." Wesley waved his hand.

"But that's what I mean. High-risk employment. People die here all the time. This place should be full of spooks. So what happened to 'em?" Angel questioned.

"Maybe this Pavayne character's munchin' on 'em." Gunn suggested and I growled lowly in my chest.

"Whatever he's doing to them, we need to get Spike back, before he's next." The brunette woman said while looking at me.

~

"Aud, could you help me real quick?" Fred asked, holding a bunch of papers and books.

"Sure." My tail twitched as I walked over and took the books and papers from her arms.

"Thanks. I think I'm close to a breakthrough, but I just need to formulate a few things- works out the kinks, you know?" She briskly walked towards her office and I followed behind her, listening to her go on about scientific formulas and mathematical equations that just went over my head. Going into her office past the lab, I set what I was carrying down onto her desk and she fanned out the papers.

"First of all, I need to get an understanding of interdimensional plasma dynamics and see how that pertains to Spike's current state of being. If I can find the relativity, I can find a way to corporealize him." She flipped open some of the books, skimming over passages and formulas before flitting to her whiteboard and picking up a marker. "Do you, uh, know anything about this stuff or is it all just...." She trailed off while scribbling numbers and mathematical symbols onto the board.

"The Watchers' Council trained and taught me in the ways of human etiquette, combat, and demonology. They worked to make me into more of a weapon than a scientist." I shrugged. "But I can just sit here and nod as if I understand. Sometimes people just need to say something out loud to understand it themselves or come up with new ideas."

"If this is boring to you, you can always-"

"This is fine. You're doing the best you can and I want to help _any_ way possible." I took a seat and she went back to writing and ranting, eventually running out of space on the whiteboard and moving on to the windows, switching markers so that it was visible. I understood about a third of what she was saying simply because a third of it was simple science or plain English while the rest was basically rocket science and beyond.

"That's never good." I heard Wesley say and looked over to see the guys walk in.

"What? Oh, no. I-I just ran out of whiteboard." Fred turned, stepping down from the chair she was kneeling to reach on the window. "I'm not crazy. Again."

"Just scary smart." Gunn smiled.

"You really think this'll bring Spike back?" Angel asked.

"Well, I just had to extrapolate a new variation on interdimensional plasma dynamics on the fly, but if the math holds-"

"All right." The vampire raised his hand. "First we'll try to get Spike back, and then we'll deal with Pavayne."

"Wait. For this to work, it's gonna require a massive surge of dark energy to catalyze the process." Fred explained.

"How massive?"

"The equivalent of nuclear evil."

"Where in the Hell are we supposed to find that?"

"Well, there is a legend that tells of a volcano _deep_ in the forbidden jungles of South Africa." Wesley stepped forward.

"Or I might know a place a little closer to home." Gunn raised his eyebrows. "Angel, why don't you come with me?"

"Wait, take this with you." Fred picked up a glass and metal container and handed it to them before they left. "Would you guys mind helping me put this thing together?"

"If you need heavy lifting, I'm your guy. Er, gal. Whatever." I pointed to myself. Following the woman back into the lab, Wesley and I moved some tables and desks out of the way. Fred pointed out where she wanted me to put together large pieces of metal and wires while the ex-Watcher helped with power boxes, circuitry, and more wires.

"Make sure it's calibrated to minus 058." Fred told Wesley while I was moving the rounded metallic objects with strange symbols on them to form a circle.

"Did you get it?" I questioned, looking up to see Angel and Gunn.

"Make it count." Gunn stated while handing over the container now possessing a black liquid inside of it. "Told me we ain't gettin' anymore."

"It talks? I didn't here it talk." Angel made a face.

"Maybe you weren't listenin' right."

"All right. I think we're almost ready." The brunette woman hooked up the container she had been handed to some sort of machinery as I clipped a tube of wiring to the circle.

"So how do we let Spike know?"

"We won't have to." Wesley answered over his shoulder.

"This baby puts outs enough juice to light up Ghost City. Anything remotely spectral around here's about to get the tinglies. Aud, is that connected yet?"

"Just finished." Nodding, I got to my feet and backed away from the circle.

"Good." She locked in the container and the machinery whirred to life. Wesley watched the dials while Fred held a device that started beeping. "He's here! Spike, step into the circle! Hurry! We've only got one chance of making you corporeal agai-" She was cut off, choking and looking as if someone had her by her throat.

"Fred!"

"Pavayne!"

"He's killing here!" There was a flash and we were all thrown back in different directions as the noise of the machine grew louder. Jumping back to my feet, sparks were flying as things were short circuiting and a man in old fashioned clothing was in the circle and looking around wildly. Gunn and Wesley went right by him, going to Fred's side.

"No! Defilers! I'll cut you into nothing! I'll feast on your brains! I'll swim in lakes of your own blood-" Pavayne was snarling until I pouncing on him, pinning him to the floor while baring by fangs and growling.

"Don't kill him!" Spike materialized while raising his hands. "If he becomes a spirit again, we'll never stop him."

"Fine." I sadistically grinned. "No killing. Just a whole _lot_ of bruising." And I reared back my fist as Pavayne tried to cover his face.

~

Sighing as I sat at Wesley's desk, I had my chin resting on the polished wood while flexing my claws. Angel had stopped me from beating up Pavayne by too much, taking him down to 'permanent storage' upon Eve's suggestion. Wesley, Fred, and Gunn were cleaning up the burnt out and busted machine while I was trying to get a minute to myself after everything.

We had been so close to getting Spike back, but because of that prick Pavayne, we were back to square one. Most of the parts Fred had used on the machine didn't really exist to begin with, and there was no other power source if she somehow managed to rebuild it. Tapping my claws onto the top of the desk, I tilted my head to lean it on my other arm.

"Don't look so down, love." Spike strolled in, coming straight through the wall as if it weren't there.

"Why not? There's good reason to." I mumbled as he walked over to the desk.

"Okay, well, look on the bright side then." The bleached blond rose his brows while standing next to me.

"Bright side?"

"Well, could be worse than bein' a ghost." I gave him a look as he reached over to me. "And I learned a few tricks." Actually feeling his hand on my head I felt a small smile pull at my lips. Running his fingers through my hair, I began to purr and lean into his touch.

"I guess it could be worse."


	97. And lots of wavy hair like Liberace

"Oh, Snowflake, _look_ at you!" Looking over my shoulder, I saw Lorne walking into Wesley's office while holding his hands out at his sides as he grinned. "You never said you were an artist." Turning back to the canvas I had been working on, I made a face.

"In a sense. Lack of doing it has really hit me, though." I scratched my cheek, inadvertently smearing paint onto my face.

"I would assume so, but look at you now. You've got all the time in the world."

"If you're looking for Wesley, he's in Fred's lab."

"No, I'm looking for you, honey. You're coming to the party tonight, right?" Lorne asked while pointing at me.

"I don't know. Parties aren't really my-"

"Oh, come on. You literally live here and you're always in Wesley's office or Fred's lab, why not meet some of the people that work here? Mingle a little, make some friends?"

"....Make friends....at an evil law firm?"

"They're not _all_ that bad. Do you like to dance? There'll be music and all the free food you can eat." Lorne smiled at me and I narrowed my eyes. Rubbing my chin, I was accidentally getting even more paint on my face as I was thinking.

"I haven't really _let loose_ since the near apocalypse....and there's _free_ food. Fine. I'll go."

"Great! Just....you might wanna clean yourself up a little first. And, uh, no pajamas."

"No pajamas." I nodded.

"You're great, sweetie. Meet me in Angel's office in 20 minutes." Lorne snapped his fingers, pointing at me again as he left the room.

"....Wait....clean up?" I furrowed my brows.

"You're covered in paint." Spike scoffed from where he sat at Wesley's desk. "It's all over your arms and face, Raphael."

~

"In my day, no self-respecting creature of the night went out on All Hallow's Eve. We left that to the posers- the blighters who had to dress up and _try_ to be scary." Spike grumbled while looking out the windows, watching people setting up the party in the lobby. Angel pushed a button under his desk and the windows were no longer clear enough to look through. "Magic windows. Will the perks never end?"

"I don't know. I like Halloween." I shrugged.

"You like the free sweets and candies." Spike popped off.

"Okay, I can't argue with that, but I also like it because that's when I could go into town with Pops as a kid. I've got good memories of Halloween."

"Ciao! What'd I miss?" Lorne hung up the phone as he came into the office before turning his attention to us.

"Us waiting." Angel replied.

"Oh, right. Sorry. So, uh, Angel, we just wanted to take a moment and emphasize how important this party really is to us." The green demon in the blue suit clapped his hands together.

"I gotta say, Lorne is right." Gunn turned to Angel while sitting on the edge of his desk. "We gotta show all the big-bads that the new regime is here to stay which, for the most part, boils down to image. And image-wise, if this party doesn't kick ass, we lose face."

"And believe me, Milk Dud, speaking as head of your P.R. department, we need all the face we can get." Lorne waved pointed.

"'Milk Dud'?"

"Said with affection."

"Okay, listen, I understand the whole keeping-up-appearances concept, but everyone comin' to this thing is unrepentant, dyed-in-the-wool evil."

"Angel, a good host just doesn't make these sort of judgements."

"We don't know how many of them are holdin' grudges against us or against each other. It's a perfect recipe for an out-of-control bloodbath."

"That's describing every _good_ party I've been to." Lorne chuckled. "Listen, Angel, don't worry about a thing. This is my forte. I ran Caritas for years- a nightclub with an open-door policy. The good, the bad, the hideously ugly- they all bellied up to my demon bar, but they all played nicely together while they were there."

"This is exactly the kind of ethical tightrope you've got to walk now. Which brings up another point- your employees." Eve leaned forward in her seat.

"Also evil." Angel popped off as Harmony came in with a mug.

"Here's your blood, bossy." She cleared her throat after getting a look from the brunette vampire. "Boss."

"Some of them, yes. But all of them work hard for this firm. And Halloween- Well, around here it's like Christmas. Simply put, this is a morale thing." Eve explained.

"Good luck. Morale around here stinks." Harmony popped off.

"What?"

"Uh-huh. Everybody thinks you suck." The blonde continued and Angel made a face. "Well, come on, boss. They're all out there sweating through their Matsudas worried if you're gonna axe them or, you know, _axe_ them. Not to mention the fact that Aud showed up out of nowhere, beat you to a bloody pulp, and now walks around like some freeloading cat- no offense, Aud- and it's making some people think _she's_ the top dog."

"Top dog?" Angel looked at me and Spike was laughing behind me.

"Well, she doesn't work here, she _lives_ in Wesley's office, her food source is what the employees bring in, and she's usually in her pajamas." Harmony clasped her hands in front of herself while shifting on her feet. "And despite that, she's still friendlier than you are to people."

"She-she doesn't have anywhere else to go, I couldn't just throw her onto the street. A-and I'm friendly."

"You've killed some of your employees. And clients." I popped off from where I sat on a couch.

"And some potential clients." Lorned crossed his arms. "Why do you think my R.S.V.P. list is only a 'fifth' of the size of last year's?"

"It's you, babe." Eve cringed.

"What do they think- I'm throwin' this thing so I can slaughter them?" Angel chuckled while waving his hand. No one said a thing as he looked at each of us. "Fine. I surrender. Go ahead, Lorne. Put on your best dog and pony. I won't get in the way."

"I don't want you to sit back and just let it happen, Angel. I need you to get out there and make it happen." Lorne gestured to the party being set up outside the office.

"What does that mean?"

~

" _~My heart is full of love and desire for you! Now come on down and do whatchu got to do!~_ " The lobby was dimly lit by lanterns and decorative lights. " _~You started this fire down in my soul! Now, can't you see it's burning out of control!~_ " There were also colored lights waving over the dance floor and a disco ball overhead. The only one actually on the dance floor, though, was Harmony and she was dancing without a care in the world.

"Look at Lorne. I mean, God, he's just so good at this. He fits in with everybody." Fred sighed as I was picking up various food from the table and munching on them.

"Right."

"I guess I've always hated parties. I never know what to do with myself. I just end up at the hors d'oeuvres table trying to look occupied."

"Hey there, wallflowers." Lorne smiled while walking over.

"Wallflowers?"

"I need you to give me a hand and help light the fuse on this powder keg. Look at the dance floor. The only thing on it is Harmony." The blonde vampire saw him looking at her and waved. "Hey! You keep pushin' that envelope, baby!"

"I'm not really the best around explosive materials." I popped off.

"I'm afraid this isn't really our element." Wesley replied.

"Yeah. We're wallflowers."

"No, no, no, no, no sweetie! You're the young, the beautiful, the ready to- Aud, would you stop eating for a second? You, go dance, have a good time. Shake your tail like nobody's watching, and I don't want to see you back at this table unless you've earned it." Lorne raised his brows at me while pointing to the dance floor. I paused chewing for a second, then popped another mini-sandwich into my mouth before doing as I was told. "Now, you two-" The green demon went on to chastise Wesley and Fred as I walked away.

"Hey, Aud!" Harmony smiled, still dancing to this rather mediocre music. "Wanna dance?" Clapping my hands together, I felt my ears and tail grow out as I grinned.

"Bring it." And I started dancing. More people eventually got on the dance floor as a beat heavy song came on, and I had not a care in the world. My hands were over my head as my hips swayed and I was just moving to the beat of whatever song came on.

When I spotted Spike with Wesley, Fred, and Gunn, I smiled and made my way over to them.

"Okay, something is definitely wrong with this picture." Fred slurred.

" _This_ might be the greatest song ever written." The bleached blond was smiling and just seemingly enjoying the music that was nothing but beat and techno.

"Yes, we appear to be under the effect of something- A-a spell." Wesley sounded drunk like Fred did.

"You must be bonkers, this song is horrible." I said while tapping my foot.

"Spike, how long have you been....you know- this?" Gunn asked.

"It's great, innit? Don't know. Happened a bit after I had a talk with Angel and Lorne. Yeah, uh, Lorne told me to think positively."

"Lorne!" Wesley snapped and pointed, nearly falling if Gunn hadn't caught him.

"Whoo!" Lorne came over with an air of joy about him. "Hey, kittens! Oh, that dance floor is smokin'!"

"Oh, Spike! Come dance with me!" I smiled, holding my hand out to the blond.

"Sure." He took my hand and we were about to go onto the dance floor before Fred grabbed my arm.

"Hold it, you two." She stumbled. "Not so fast!"

"What?"

"Lorne's gotten to you, too." And we were drug to Angel's office along with the green demon.

"Come on, guys. I'm tellin' you, I-I didn't do anything."

"Angel? You in here?" Fred called while not being able to walk straight. "Ange-"

"What?" There was a crash of window blinds and we all looked over to see Angel pop up from behind the couch with strewn about cushions.

"Oh, my God! You're having sex!" I pointed, and the others gasped as Eve's face popped up next.

"Hey! Angel's gettin' some! Good on you, mate." Spike's voice was pitched with excitement as he gave a thumb's up.

"What's wrong with you?" Angel looked confused as he glanced at each of us.

"What's wrong with- What are you doing with that-"

"Hey! Watch it, pal." Eve warned.

"He must be under the effect of Lorne-" Wesley stumbled, gesturing with his beer. "And Eve, too, presum-presumily."

"Presumily." Fred snorted, waving her finger at the two behind the couch.

"Lorne is doing it- something- to all of us." The ex-Watcher raised his voice as I jumped onto Angel's desk and kicked some of the stuff off.

"I am not!"

"Everything he's told us to do, we're doing. Spike's thinking positively, Aud's dancing, Gunn is peeing all over the office-"

"And we're a _little_ bit drunk."

"Yes! But not because we drank, but because Lorne 'told' us to be drunk."

"Lorne told you to pee all over the office?"

"Lord, I hope so."

"Aud, would you stop dancing on my desk?" Angel asked and I answered by kicking a file off of the edge of the desk.

"This is crazy. I am not doing this. I-I would know if I was doing this. I don't even know what _this_ is."

"You know, I really love your desk." Spike popped off.

"I-I don't get it. I thought Lorne was just an empath demon." Eve looked confused.

"Territory! Wait. This morning, Lorne told me to stake out my territory."

"Right! Wesley shouted. "Territorial marking! Taking it too literally."

"Hey, guys! Keep it in your pants." Fred pointed at the two behind the couch as they were making out.

"Hey, I did not tell Gunn to go water the ferns. I did 'not' do anything!" Lorne repeated.

"You had your sleep removed."

"What?!"

"Yeah, he hasn't slept in a month."

"Oh, dear. An empath demon deprived of sleep for that long?"

"What does that have to do with it?" Lorne asked.

"Something, apparently." Fred waved her arm.

"Lorne, why'd you let them do that to you?" Angel questioned.

"Well, I had to do something, didn't I? I mean, you don't know what I've had to deal with. I mean, I'm the center of gravity in a town that's full of borderline-disorder celebrities and power brokers. I mean, all the hand-holding and the ego stroking- and the 4:00 a.m. jacuzzi strategy sessions? I just couldn't keep up with it."

"Gunn's peeing again." I piped up while still dancing on the desk and Wesley came over to stop him.

"I just couldn't keep up with it, even without sleeping."

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell us? And I would've-"

"What, fired me?"

"I would've helped you, which is what I'm gonna do now." Angel stood up, seemingly forgetting he was completely naked.

"Woah."

"Ah!" He quickly grabbed a couch cushion to cover himself. "Wes, Fred, go find Lorne's sleep and figure out a way to put it back in his head."

"Yes, sir." Wesley stumbled towards Fred.

"Done and doner." She saluted before being grabbed and drug out of the room.

"Lorne, you just stay tight and try not to, you know, talk."

"We've still got a party goin' on. Someone has to make sure there's ice in the drinks." Lorne waved his hand.

"Oh, right."

"Oh! Oh! Me! Me! I'm you're people person!" Spike hopped up and down while raising his hand.

"Gunn, go on he floor, see if anyone else is under the Lorne effect."

"Check."

"And stop with the-"

"Do my best." Gunn shamefully walked out of the office and Angel turned to me as if ready to give me an order as well.

"Don't even try it, caveman. I just saw your willy. 'I'm' gonna go dance some more." Hopping off of the desk while pointing at myself with my thumbs, I strolled out with a smile.

"Brilliant plan." Spike grinned.

~

"AaaaaAAAaaaaAAAaaaahhh!" I yelled like Tarzan while throwing my fists into the air as I stood on top of one of the decorative statues. Kicking off my boots, I then ripped off my shirt and threw it to the floor below before my hair burst into flames. I could hear people wolf whistling and the music changed to something with more of a beat.

Now in my true form, I was dancing on top of the statue as the fire on my head swayed along with me. I was having a good time like Lorne had told me, and it only mildly concerned me. I was just glad he hadn't told me to do something worse.

"Aud! Get down from there!" Gunn shouted from below and I just turned my back to him with my tail raised before sticking my ass out and smacking it. "Oh, my- _Aud!_ "

"Don't listen to him, love, you're doing great!" Spike cheered. The party seemed to be in full swing with the flooded dance floor and the drunken humans and demons swaying about. Dancing like nobody was watching, I just ignored the people below until there was suddenly screaming and gasping as the music cut off.

Spinning around, I saw a dead demon laying on a table, squishing all of the food underneath it.

"Oh, come on! Not the food." I pouted, and noticed a demon pointing a crossbow at Angel that was now fully dressed and standing between Eve and Lorne. The pale demon with oryx-like horns then aimed the weapon at Lorne as they were talking, and another demon suddenly appeared with a roar, jumping down from the second floor and looking like an upscaled and brutish version of Lorne.

"That's one bitchin' big suit!" Spike yelled as people scattered. The huge demon smacked another demon away and Lorne stepped forward.

"Stop it! Stop killing! Listen to me, me." The green demon was thrown to the side. Running a few steps and jumping, I flew threw the air at the large demon with a grin. Catching the giant Lorne by the neck with the crook of my elbow, the momentum and force of me crashing into him sent him to the ground with a loud thud. Climbing on top of him, I stood on his massive chest and roared with victory.

"You don't mess with the dancing queen, punk bitch!" I pointed, and as if someone was wanting to make a joke, Abba started playing as I fought the demon on the dance floor. Spike was whooping and cheering while clapping from the sideline, and the others were just watching with crossed arms and furrowed brows.

Running, I jumped and flipped mid-air, kicking the demon in the chin and sending him stumbling back. Landing on the ground, I danced a little more until the big guy was ready to get smacked down again.

"It's here! It's manifested!" I heard Wesley slur as he and Fred stumbled out of the elevator. The demon didn't seem to be taking much damage from my hits to be honest, but I was fueled by Abba and just kept going, knocking the demon back whenever he came at me.

"Oh, my God! They shot Lorney Tunes!" Harmony said in shock, and I punched the big demon in the gut just before he turned to shiny bits of blue and smoke.

~

The party seemed pretty much over now that everyone was gone and people were cleaning up. Sighing through my nose, I walked into Angel's office while rebraiding my hair as Wesley was laying a blanket onto the unconscious Lorne.

"That thing- I think it was a manifestation of Lorne's subconscious." The ex-Watcher said lowly, not wanting to wake the demon sleeping. "It peeled away from his mind, using Lorne's supernatural powers to punch its way into our world."

"Why was he trying to kill everyone?" Angel asked.

"I don't think it was. It may have just been processing the conflicts that Lorne normally deals with in his sleep, acting out on the emotional responses he has to the people around him." Wesley put his hands into his pockets as I finished off the braid.

"I hate to interrupt, but-"

"Aud, where the bloody Hell is your shirt?!" The ex-Watcher quickly turned away after looking at me and Angel rushed out to catch Eve as she was leaving.

"You didn't catch the ' _dancing queen's_ ' performance?" Spike popped off, leaning on Angel's desk with his arms crossed. "Ripped the sodding thing off."

"Yeah. I was just about to ask if anybody had a spare. If you haven't noticed, I've been wearing this and the same pajamas repeatedly. Ever had to explain washing your laundry in a bathroom sink?" Furrowing my brows, I put my hands on my hips as Wesley sighed. He slid off his jacket and held it out to me.

"Stay here, I'll go get you some more clothes."

"Thanks, Wes."

"I do feel obligated to watch out for you seeing as you were once the Council's responsibility."

"Hey, I'm adult now." I stated while sliding on the still warm jacket. "I can look out for myself."

"Aud, you sleep on a pile of bean bags in my office." He said while walking to the door.

"Touche."

"Hey, I spoke with Sebassis's people, explained what I could." Gunn was saying as he followed Angel into the office.

"Yeah, so what've we got? Lawsuit? Demon war?"

"No. Seems like they enjoy a little blood sport at their social functions. Looks like we're okay."

"We're not okay. We've been so focused on the dangers outside that we didn't see the ones within. This place is tryin' to change us, Gunn. We can't ever forget that." Angel replied while rounding his desk.

"Pretty damn good party though."

"Oi, keep your eyes up, lawyer man." Spike had a warning tone and I glanced over to see Gunn looking at my chest.

"Sorry. Unintentional." He cleared his throat as I narrowed my eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow. Well, you know, today, but later." Gunn started putting on his coat while having his attention on Angel. "Oh, and your chair-"

"What?"

"Don't sit in it. I already called Janitorial."

"Why can't I-"

"He peed in it." I smirked as Angel turned his chair and saw it.

"You pissed in the big man's chair? That's fantastic!" Spike chuckled.

"Spike, can you _please_ turn off that warm fuzzy?"

"What, the Lorne thing? Wore off. I just think that's bloody fabulous." The blond pointed to the chair.

"All right, guys." Angel raised his hand as if to stop the conversation. "Good night. Let Lorne get some sleep, all right?" And Gunn left as Angel stood in front of Spike. "Out."

"All right. Just this once. Come on, love. Also, where's your modesty?" The bleached blond shut the front of the jacket and started to button it up, having some difficulty seeing as he was still getting used to actually grabbing things rather than going right through them..

"Hey, I had to help save the world butt ass naked, you think I care about some cleavage showing?" I popped off, making him heavily sigh.


	98. Mr. Sandman, someone to hold

"Aud, love, what in God's name are you haulin' in here?" Looking over my shoulder, I saw Spike sitting on the table where Gunn was seated and Angel was standing by.

"Oh, hey, Spike. Um, this?" I lifted up the box and dropped it onto the table. There was a light thud and a rattle from the decorative centerpiece. "Payment for room and board." I pat the box and Gunn raised a brow at me as Angel turned around. "Well, I don't work here and- no offense- I never will with this place being a branch of an ultimate evil network, but I have been using this place like my own personal penthouse and felt like giving something worth monetary value to make up for it."

"And what exactly is this ' _something_ '?" Angel made a face as Gunn curiously looked at the box.0

"Paintings. I wasn't as good as I used to be, but as I was working I got my skill back. However, all of them are worth something based upon their quality and medium. Sell them and you've got your money."

"Should just keep moochin' off of them." Spike popped off.

"Mind if I take a look?" Gunn pointed and I shook my head while sliding the box over to him.

"So, what's you're problem, Angel?" I rose my brows at the brunette and he looked a bit confused. "I've got good ears, I couldn't help but overhear you having some issues with how things are now."

"I, uh, don't know." He shifted on his feet while kind of fidgeting. "Just feeling a bit-"

"Squishy?" Spike asked.

"Disconnected."

"Are you serious? Here you are, finally living a piece of the high life. New clothes, new cars, my old tumble fetchin' you tasty snacks. And what's your gripe? ' _I feel disconnected._ '" Spike waved his hand before mocking Angel. "You wanna feel disconnected, try bein' a bloody ghost for a bit. Try bobbin' around with no touch or taste or smell. Not many fates worse than that, I'd wager." The old mail man that wore a luchador mask with the number 5 on it walked in to get the mail off of Angel's desk. "Okay, maybe that."

"I know what you're sayin' about the disconnect." Gunn said while looking up from the box of canvases. "Much as I love the legalese, gotta admit I miss mixin' it up sometimes, you know? Miss gettin' my hands dirty."

"Then you'll be interested in this." Wesley spoke up while walking in, carrying some paper and handing it to Angel. "Three people found with their hearts cut out in East Los Angeles all within the last couple of hours. Police are on it, but my sense is it's more demonic than some murderous nut-job."

"So we're rulin' out demonic nut-job then, are we?" Spike asked.

"We should check it out."

"Right."

"Yo, you missed one." Gunn called out to the old luchador while raising a manila envelope.

"I'll get it." Angel took the envelope from Gunn and went to chase down the mail guy.

"What's that?" Wesley jerked up his chin to gesture to the box in front of Gunn.

"Aud's paintings. She wants us to sell them to make up for her bumming off of us."

"Oh, Aud used to be horrible at painting if I remember correctly. But then again, the last time I saw any of her artwork was over five years ago."

"Low and behold my improvement." I waved my hand to the box and Gunn slid it across the table to let Wesley see.

"Oh, my." His eyebrows went high on his forehead. "You've gotten exceptionally good at this. Have you still kept up with the harp?"

"Harp?" Gunn raised a brow at me.

"Giles didn't want Aud to be only taught combat, thought it might be a bit too barbaric for a child, so he had Aud put through lessons in various forms of art and music." Wesley explained. "She couldn't play wind instruments worth a damn- either burnt the wood or turned a trumpet into a flamethrower."

"In my defense, I couldn't control the fire breathing."

"True. So she was moved to other instruments- She seemed most adept at the harp and they continued the lessons with that."

"I never knew you played the bloody harp." Spike looked at me and I crossed my arms.

"Never asked. Oh, but it was actually me playing the harp that got Wes to stop being scared of me."

"I was never-" I gave him a look and he crossed his arms. "I-I was a young Watcher back then. I was aware of-of the dangers you as a half-demon possessed, not to mention that the-the spontaneous combustion was rather _intimidating._ "

There was a loud crash and glass shattering as Angel was thrown through one of his office windows.

"What happened?" Wesley and Gunn rushed over to the brunette's side as he was sitting up. Calmly walking over, I looked through the broken window to see curious eyes gathering.

"The mail guy threw me." Angel looked a bit stunned as he stood.

"What?"

"Number 5? He did this?" Spike started chuckling. "Isn't he like a hundred years old?"

"Kind of hard to tell with the mask." Angel said with a tone and that only made Spike laugh even more.

"Why'd he attack you?"

"Tried to give him mail."

"Security's on it." Gunn declared after hanging up his phone. "We'll find him."

"Look, this is just a-a thing. Maybe I, you know, startled him or somethin'."

"I can see the headline now- 'Startled Old Man Throws 200 Year Old Vampire Through Office Window'." I waved one hand while putting the other onto my hip.

"I'm not takin' any chances. This is Wolfram & Hart, you have enemies everywhere." Gunn stated before I saw Spike perk up yet again.

"Hey, Fred, did ya hear? Angel attack the old mail guy." He pointed and Fred got a shocked expression as she looked at Angel.

"What?"

"Not Number 5? You didn't hurt him?" Fred sounded genuinely worried for the old guy.

"No! I-I- _He_ attacked _me_!" Angel said defensively.

"We should fine him." Wesley walked towards the door as Gunn's phone rang.

" _Absolutely_. Wanna buy him a pint. Bloody made my day." Spike waved his hand.

"Security found him. They're escorting him off the premises." Gunn grabbed Wesley before he left. "You do want to fire his masked ass, don't you?"

"Well, I don't-"

"I think it's bet." Wesley put his hands onto his hips.

"Look, really, I'm fine. Let's just get back to the bod-"

"Holy tornado, it's true!" Lorne came in, looking at the glass on the floor and the broken window.

"Yeah, it was amazing. Angel went right off on the mail guy." Spike looked between the green demon and the brunette vampire.

"Oh, this must've been one major smackdown."

"There was no ' _smacking_ '." Angel laughed at how ridiculous the situation was.

"That's not the hubbub I'm hearin', honey buns. Word on the web has you sucker punching Grandpa Moses."

"The web?"

"Don't sweat it, sweetie pie." Lorne smiled. "I got my flack-catcher spinnin' this int P.R. gold. And once the word spreads that you beat up an innocent old man, well, the truly terrible will think twice before goin' toe-to-toe with our Avenging Angel."

"Yes. The geriatric community will be soiling their nappies when they hear you're on the case. Bravo." The bleached blond gave a thumb's up.

"I didn't beat anybody up." Angel pointed, looking irritated while Spike was still amused. "Okay? So let's just focus on what's _important_ , like Wes's bodies."

"Wesley has bodies?" Fred made a face.

"Someone found three bodies." Gunn explained.

"Four." Wesley spoke up after a woman handing him another paper. "Another one was just found in a church after an _All Souls_ ' mass."

"' _All souls_ '?" Angel quirked up a brow.

"Prayers for the departed."

"You should know that, being departed and all." Spike popped off.

"Tonight was a special service. It's the Mexican Day of the Dead." Wesley stated.

~

Sitting between Gunn and Wesley in the back seat of the convertible with its top down, some rock tune was playing on the radio and I was enjoying the wind in my face. I had my hands laced behind my head, ignoring the bad smells we occasionally passed on the road.

"Still not sure why Blondie Ghost tagged along." Gunn popped off.

"Not much choice really, is there?" Spike asked, sitting in the front passenger seat with his elbow resting on the door. "Can't drink, smoke, diddle my willy, or even make love to my honey. Doesn't leave much to do other than watch you blokes stumble around playin' Agatha Christie."

"Yeah, remind me again how you ended up in the front seat." The ex-Watcher piped up.

"Called shotgun, mate."

"Oh. I thought we were doing a weapons check." Wesley looked down at the sawed off shotgun in his hands.

"Nothin' wrong with that." Gunn lifted up his axe. "We may need these bad boys if we're goin' up against some Mexican Day of the Dead heart-suckin' monster."

"Angel, the church we're looking for is about half a mile-" The ex-Watcher was cut off by the tires squealing and inertia pushing him against the side of the vehicle. I slid right into him while Gunn turned it into a sandwich until the vehicle came to a stop on the curb.

"Always was a bit of a drama queen." Spike sighed while shaking his head after Angel got out of the car with his sword. My nose twitched and I could smell blood in the air. Climbing out from between the two men, I slid off the side of the car and followed my nose until I found Angel standing by a fence and a body on the ground.

"Too late." Spike sighed from behind me.

"So you what, heard his scream?" Gunn asked.

"He smelled the blood." I replied, shifting on my feet as I put my hands onto my hips.

"Nothing grabs a vamp's attention like the ruby red." The bleached blond added.

"Notice no matter how uptown we go we always wind up at some stanky hole in the middle of the night?"

"Angel. His heart's missing." Wesley stated while kneeling by the body. "Looks like it was cut out with some sort of crude knife. Based on these blood splatters, his heart was still beating when it was removed." He stood back up, shining a flashlight onto the corpse.

"Blood's fresh. This just happened." Angel said.

"So whatever did this might still be close."

"How close?" Gunn asked and I leaned back to look around Angel.

"Uh, 10, 11 feet, I'd say." The guys turned to look at the tall demon in Aztec-esque warrior garb. "Hope he's got a nice personality because boy is he 'ugly'." The demon hissed through it's long, piranha-like teeth.

Angel was the fist to attack, swinging his sword at the demon that only blocked each strike with his hard shield. The demon caught the vampire's sword with his own, swinging outward before knocking Angel into the air with a hardy smack of his shield. Wesley fired his gun, but the bullets just ricocheted off of the things chest plate. The demon sent the ex-Watcher flying just before Gunn swung his axe, actually giving the demon damage as it screamed in pain like a demonic pig.

"How you like that, Sparky?" The demon turned on Gunn and he stepped back. "Okay, so next time I hold on to the axe." The human kept dodging back and Spike waved his hand.

"Not that way, you git!" He turned to a plank of wood on the ground and tried to pick it up. "Now, focus!" His hands went right threw and he rolled his eyes. "Bloody useless."

"Aud, a little help here!"

"Oh, right! Sorry!" I sheepishly grinned before running and drop kicking the demon. Getting to my feet as the demon did, I bared my teeth while growling and it hissed at me. Lunging, I didn't react in time as a dumpster was thrown at me and got knocked onto my back as it fled. "....Ow."

~

Strolling into Wesley's office, he had books scattered about his desk while his assistant was working on getting an image of the demon to cross reference it with their database to find out what it was. Plopping down onto the bean bags next to his desk, I ripped open the bag of Twizzlers and got comfortable.

"I wasn't aware that you could read Cuauhtitlan pictograms." Wesley droned and I glanced over to see Spike looking over the man's shoulder.

"Who, me? Nah, I was just- Is this one of those books on prophecies?"

"No, it's a source book. Each one ties into a discipline within the Wolfram & Hart archives. This one's linked to historical narratives. That's the one dedicated to prophecies." Wesley pointed with his pen to a book resting on the edge of an armchair.

"So....you could look up that, uh, ' _San-shoes_ ' thingamabob."

"You mean the prophecy about Angel becoming a real boy? That's ' _Shanshu_ '." I waved a Twizzler before biting into it.

"Yeah, that."

"Uh, it's a bit more complicated than that." The ex-Watcher scoffed.

"Complicated?" Spike looked at Wesley while standing by the armchair now.

"It tells of an epic, apocalyptic battle and a vampire with a soul who plays a major role in that battle. And there is a suggestion that the vampire will get to live again."

"When you say 'plays a major role in an apocalyptic battle,' you mean like, um, heroically closing a Hellmouth that was about to destroy the world?" The blond rubbed his ear while asking.

"The text isn't specific about the battle."

"But it's specific about the name of the vampire with a soul?" Spike raised a brow and I looked between the two men.

"No. I imagine it could be any vampire with a soul....who _isn't_ a ghost." Wesley leaned back in his chair.

"It's a bunch of nonsense." Spike scoffed while turning away. "It's a bunch of nonsense. It's a bedtime story to get vampires to play nice."

"Says you."

"No. Says Angel." Wesley gave the vampire a look and he continued on. "Yeah. Tall, dark, and dreary told me he doesn't believe in that _Shanshu_ bugaboo. Says it's a, uh, sucker's game."

"Sir?" The assistant looked up from her work and the ex-Watcher got to his feet to check it. Biting into a Twizzler, I pulled up my legs to sit criss-cross.

"That's it. Good. Print it out."

My gaze was on Spike as he was looking at the book on the armchair with an odd expression on his face. Was he actually interested in the _Shanshu_ prophecy?

~

"Hey, Fred, just popping in to see how it's coming along." I said before hopping up onto a stool. She glanced up from the computer she was standing by and gave me a smile.

"It's coming along rather well actually. Oh, did you happen to, uh, scratch the demon or anything? Get a bit of it under your claws?" Fred asked, turning back to the computer and tapping at the keyboard.

"Negative. Kicked it, then got a dumpster thrown at me."

"Are you okay? Well, of course you're okay, you have an incredibly fast metabolism and your cells reproduce molecularly at an extreme-"

"You called?" Angel walked into the lab and Fred smiled while nodding before showing what she had found out about the demon. "So it's eating the hearts of heroes, and their blood is what keeps it alive."

"Yeah, but it does more than that. It acts like a kind of supercharged rocket fuel. Makes it, you know...."

"Nigh invulnerable." Wesley finished for her.

"Oh, I could kill it." Spike popped off from where he was leaning and had his arms crossed. "I mean, ghostiness to the contrary." Wesley and Angel just gave him a look, and the blond walked towards the table where they were standing. "Come on, lads. Everything has an Achilles' heel."

"And you just happen to know this creature's Achilles' heel?" Angel smirked with amusement.

"I'll wager it's the heart."

"You....see that in the science?" Fred looked at the computer monitor.

"No, love, in the poetry. We're dealing with a mythic creature here. A kill-or-be-killed kind of creature. If I was gonna kill something that was tryin' to take my heart I'd try to bloody well take its heart first."

"That'd explain the hard chest plate. The thing was like a crop-top rather than full armor- focusing on protecting its heart."

"You'd be doin' the right thing." Gunn stated as he came in, carrying a file in his hand. "That'd stop it for the time being."

"Time being?"

"He's kind of got a get-out-of-jail-free card. It's in his contract."

"Contract?"

"Figure of speech. Curse, hex, any shady, supernatural deal Wolfram & Hart has a record of it." Gunn explained, opening up the file on the table. "Tezcatcatl was one of the Aztecs' most powerful warriors. He forged a mystical talisman that would harness the power of their sun god, make him supernova powerful. But he got found out. Was sentenced to die- on the Aztec Day of the Dead."

"So he made a mystical deal."

"Yeah, it was pretty clever, really. He had their shaman put a curse on him to return from the dead every 50 years. Been doin' it for centuries. Usually that's be a bad thing, but in his case, it brings him back so he can keep searching for the talisman."

"Any idea what happened to the talisman?" Fred questioned.

"It was given to a great hero in charge of protecting it."

"Which gets passed down through the generations. So each time this demon returns, it's searchin' for that talisman." Angel tilted his head.

"And if he finds it, the demon becomes sun-god powerful and you sods become a series of hearty snacks." Spike raised his brows while glancing at everyone.

"All right, Mr. Sunshine." I rolled my eyes. "Way to lighten the tense atmosphere."

"I'm just sayin'."

"Is there a drawing of it?" Wesley asked.

"Negative. All I know is that it's gold, about the size of a quarter, and has the sun and some other spooky mumbo-jumbo carved into it." Gunn answered while looking into the file. Angel suddenly stormed out and I raised a brow at the door he left through.

"Oh, see? Drama queen." The bleached blond pointed.

~

Chewing the inside of my cheek, I was thinking over recent events. Number 5 had ended up dying during the fight against the Aztec demon, but in the end the demon had been killed and Angel was able to retrieve the talisman. But that wasn't the main focus of my thoughts- Spike and his questioning about the _Shanshu_ were.

I knew the vampire well enough to know when he was baiting people, and he had baited Wesley into giving more information on the prophecy.

Picking some books from off the floor, I stacked them onto the desks and put back the ones that went on the shelves. It was mostly dark, save for the desk lamp, and it was completely silent because of everyone having already gone home. After the shelves were back in order, I grabbed the books on the desks and carried them out of the office and to the library.

Sighing as I was putting the books back, my ear twitched when I heard one of the books rocking on the shelf. My gaze drifted to the side to see Spike fiddling with a book, practicing grabbing stuff again.

"What's with the pensive look, pet?" He asked, tilting his head to look at me.

"Just thinking."

"About?"

"Stuff."

"Care to be more specific?" The blond sighed.

"Nope." I replied, popping the 'p'.

"Okay, fine. Why are you puttin' up the load of books? I highly doubt you were reading all of those." Spike eyes the books in my arms as I was putting them onto their perspective shelves.

"Cleaning up Wesley's office. He was tired so I told him to go on home."

"What are you, his maid?"

"No, you tic. I _do_ use his office like a bedroom, and he's my friend. I'm trying to be nice."

"....Is that all he is?"

"What?"

"A friend." I looked at him with narrowed eyes, putting my hand onto my hip before I spoke.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Just curious, is all." Spike turned away from the shelf, sticking his hands into his pockets as he looked around.

"No, you're _jealous._ " I tilted up my chin and the blond scoffed while turning towards me.

"Why would I be- I am _not_ \- You're crazy."

"Nah, I can see it. Wes and I have history, we spend a lot of time together, he's ruggedly handsome-" I saw Spike's face and snorted. "You're a dunce. Sure, he's attractive, but I don't see him that way and vice versa." I went back to putting books onto the shelves.

"Are you sure about that? How you know ol' Percy ain't into you?"

"Have you seen how he looks at Fred? Besides, Wes and I's relationship is more like distant cousins that get along. Not only that, you idiot, I mate for life." Glancing at him with raised brows, I made a face. "And, blood breath, you're already filling that role."

"Okay, well, you can't blame me for not being all dandy with it when I'm a bloody ghost." Spike rolled his eyes. "It's not like I can touch you, hold you, let alone _please_ you. All I can offer is meaningful conversation and, when I can get it right, a good handshake."

"I'll wait." I shrugged. "I've got nothing but time, and since you're not actually dead anymore, I've got something to look forward to." Pausing with my hand on the shelf in front of me, I sighed through my nose. "It was really bad without you, William. Compared to then, your 'meaningful conversations' are very much welcomed over nothing at all."

"Don't forget the handshakes."

"Today it's handshakes and head pats, but at the rate you're going, I'm pretty sure a hug is in the near future." Smiling at him, I saw a soft smile pull at his lips in return.


	99. Would be so peachy before we're too old

"Is Mom all right?"

"She's fine. Sturdy as ever. No, you and I have business to discuss."

"Business. Oh. Of course. Please, sit dow-" Wesley was cut off by me spitting out the water I was drinking from pure shock at who I saw standing in his office.

"Aud." The old man had a firm look on his face as I met his gaze. "I wasn't expecting you to be here. Last I heard, Rupert had reported you missing." Wesley's eyes went wide as he looked at me and I gave a nervous smile while sort of cringing.

"I wrote him a letter....I just didn't tell him where I was."

"You might as well sit in on this conversation, there are a few things you should know in regards to the Council." Roger, Wesley's dad, gestured for me to take a seat.

"Lovely."

"As you both may well know, the Watchers Council was destroyed last year. The remaining former Watchers, myself included, have decided to re-form the Council and I've been sent to contact you." Roger explained.

"Are you saying the Council wants me to come back?"

"Not necessarily. You're name's proven to be a point of contention. There are some who believe that your tenure as Watcher ranks as our most _embarrassing_ failure."

"....Really? I beat out everybody dying in an explosion as most embarrassing failure."

"Friends and colleagues lost their lives in that event, Wesley. A little respect."

"Sorry." The ex-Watcher dropped his head while looking to the floor.

"The Council have agreed to take you back, pending my assessment. I'm here to evaluate you."

"I see. Well, I'll save you the trouble. I'm not interested." Wesley got up from the couch and headed towards the door.

"This is no time to be _stubborn_ , boy. The Council are giving you a chance to clear your name. _Our_ name." Roger's words stopped Wesley as the old man got to his feet.

"Sorry you made the trip, but I'm perfectly happy where I am."

"Wolfram & Hart? So this is the haven of evil, is it?"

"Not anymore. You have the wrong idea about this place."

"Do I? The atrocities committed by Wolfram & Hart are quite well documented."

"We're working to change that. Under our control, this firm's becoming a powerful weapon- one that I think can make a difference. Believe me, we take our work here very seriously." Wesley waved his hand.

"Either way, I will be having to take Aud back with me."

"What?!" I jumped to my feet and Roger raised a brow at me.

"This is no place for you, there's no telling the influences it may have on someone like you. The Council may have allowed you pass to Sunnydale but you were never away from their eyes- you still belong to the Watchers."

"I'm an adult! I'm not some child or possession!" I smacked my hand onto my chest as my voice raised.

"You are. You always have been, and it's time you realize that. Letting you live with Rupert was a mistake on the Council's part and it needs to be rectified. For one, here you are, prancing about in the heart of evil and your _guardian_ has no clue where you are." The old man kept a mostly calm voice while gaining a harshly toned edge.

"No."

"No? I'm sorry, Aud, but unlike Wesley here you _don't_ have a choice on the matter. Do you even have a green card? Papers?" My silence was the only answer he needed. "You're not human, Aud. We _let_ you live when we didn't have to. Through legalities, you belong to the Watchers. You might as well start saying your goodbyes to any....' _friends_ ' you may have made here." I felt my nose twitching into a snarl, fighting back the urge to burst into flames before I stormed out of the office.

Entering the lobby, I went up the stairs and down the hall to Fred's lab. I nearly broke the door with how hard it slammed open, startling some of the workers inside. Huffing like an angry bull, I found a stool by where Fred was working on a dead cyborg and plopped down. I could feel my tail twitching with agitation and the room was dead silent for a second before everyone went back to work.

"....Aud? Are you....are you okay?" Fred questioned and I only exhaled through my nose as a reply.

"Oh, she's bloody pissed. Aud, love, what happened?" Spike came over and leaned down to see my face. My forehead thudded against the metal table, rattling everything on it and the vampire gave a low whistle. " _Someone's_ in a snit."

"All right, Fred, what do you got for me?" I heard Angel ask from behind me.

"Oh, right. We found cybernetics throughout the body in most cases replacing entire organic systems."

"Was it human?"

"We think so. The nervous system seems human at least, but the rest of the technology's so foreign to us, we can't be sure of anything right now. This thing really blurs the line between human and robot." Fred explained.

"Uh-huh. So you're not ruling out that a human being could have boffed a robot." Spike popped off and there was an awkward silence. "Sex with robots is more common than most people think."

"....Um....the cybernetics require central processing to function which means if we can crack its memory we may find record of everything it's done until this point." Fred continued.

"And maybe figure out who or what it wanted." Angel added before the sound of glass shattering silenced the room.

"Hey! Did you- Sorry." I looked up at Spike to see him backing away from beakers on a shelf with his hands raised defensively.

"Um, so far we haven't had much luck decoding the encryption."

"Seems to be a binary-based system, so we'll get there eventually." Nox piped up from his desk a few feet away. "We just have to find the transformed variable."

"Okay, I need you on this till we get some answers."

"You got it." Fred nodded with a smile to Angel before the brunette vampire turned to me.

"Aud, why don't you come with me? Let them focus on work-" Angel paused as I growled lowly in my chest. "Did you just- Did she just _growl_ at me?" He pointed.

"Aud's not in a very good mood." Fred stated. "Doesn't seem to want to talk about it either."

"Everyone," Wesley entered the lab with his father beside him as he looked around. "I'd like you to meet my father, Roger Wyndam-Price."

"Hello." Roger nodded and my growl got louder.

"Daddy, eh? I always thought Wesley was grown in some sort of greenhouse for dandies." Spike smirked while standing in front of the two.

"Spike." The old man made a face of displeasure.

"You've heard of me?"

"No. We've met. 1963, my colleagues and I fell upon you slaughtering an orphanage in Vienna. Killed two of my men before you escaped."

"....Oh. How've you been?" Roger only looked at the blond with growing distaste until Spike gave a short nod and walked away.

"I didn't know your father was coming to visit, Wesley." Angel held his hand out politely to the old man. "I'm Angel. Pleasure to meet you."

"Do you _really_ expect me to shake that?" Roger gestured to Angel's hand with his head.

"Well, I'm not real comfortable with hugging." And the brunette vampire got the same look Spike had. "No. I-I realize this may be somewhat of a horror show to you but, uh, I hope you can keep an open mind." Angel said while retracting his hand and putting it into his pocket. "We _really_ are doing good work here."

"So I'm told." The old Watcher glanced to his son. "Incessantly, in fact."

"I heard we could be of some use." Wesley stated.

"Of course. We were just going over the autopsy." Fred politely took Roger's arm and led him over to the table with the dead cyborg with her left hand since her right arm was in a sling after that morning's events.

"Fred, keep me posted." Angel said before walking out with Eve following behind him.

"So this is where you ran off to." Roger saw me sitting there and I felt my lip twitch up to briefly bare my teeth. "This is exactly what I meant." He turned to Wesley while gesturing to me. "Hasn't even been that long really and she's already grown aggressive. I'll be sure to see to it that's she's put back through proper etiquette when we get back to England."

"Get back to England? Aud, you're leaving?" Fred turned to look at me and I glared at Roger.

"No."

"Yes. Stop being childish, Aud."

"Being childish?!" The stool I had been sitting on clattered to the floor with how fast I got to my feet. "You're dragging me back against my will while claiming I'm fucking _'property'_ of the bleeding Watchers! Does my free will or humanity merit no weight in the matter?"

"Your 'humanity' is the reason I gave you time to leave your parting words rather than already sending you back."

"Woah, hold up," Spike walked over while softly laughing as if he thought Roger were joking. "you can't just _take_ Aud."

"I can and I will. This is none of your business."

"H-hold on, maybe we could-"

"Neither is it yours." Roger said firmly, cutting Fred off. "I would respectfully ask you to not argue on matters that are of no concern to you. Aud _will_ be leaving with me when I go or I will take legal measures to ensure her return."

"Legal measures?" Spike scoffed. "She's not something somebody nicked off ya, mate. Aud's-"

"Here illegally." The old man raised his brows at me. "She's a foreigner, not a U.S. citizen, and lacks proper documentation."

"Take your fucking 'proper documentation' and shove it right up your ass, old man. I'm not going _anywhere_ with yo-"

"This is the last I will say this, Aud. You are coming with me and that's final. You may fight and argue all you like, but your childish fits will get you nowhere on the matter. Retaliate again and I cannot guarantee Rupert will not receive consequences on your behalf." My knuckles popped from how tightly my hands had balled into fists.

"Ublyudok." I growled, having to leave the lab to try and calm down elsewhere. My hair was close to sparking from pure rage, and I really didn't have much to say against my circumstances.

This was just how things were for me.

I had thought that the explosion at the Watchers Council had meant I was finally free from their leash, but apparently I was wrong.

~

"If I could, I'd drain the old ponce dry." I glanced up from where I was laying on the bean bags and watched Spike walk across the office to crouch next to me.

"Thanks for the sentiment, but that wouldn't really solve anything. Another one of those old coots would just show up and do the same thing." I grumbled while rolling onto my side.

"Don't worry, love, you've got Wes and Fred on your side. Between those two alone they'll find a way to let you stay." Spike gave a small, reassuring smile and I closed my eyes as he brushed some of my hair behind my ear. "I've told you before- you're not a pet or a thing to be owned."

"Tell that to the damn Watchers."

"You know what? I will." The blond stood and I raised my brow at him.

"What?"

"I'm gonna go have a nice chat with the head boy's father."

~

My spine went rigid with the alarms going off and the lights going out, forcing the lights on the backup power grid to turn on. Closing the refrigerator, I saw the workers all rushing out and could only guess the alarms only went off in rather serious situations. Not even a minute later and even the alarms were shut off.

"Well....that can't be good." I mumbled while shifting forms. I didn't even make it three steps towards the door before a part of the ceiling caved in and another cyborg like the dead one in the lab stood in front of me. Growling, I flexed my claws and rushed the cyborg, but the damn thing pulled a gun and I took a step back from the impact of the projectile that hit me.

Looking down, rather than seeing a bullet hole and blood I instead saw a dart and my world started to sway. Stumbling, black was seeping into my vision and I was trying to fight passing out.

"Thas sum srong stuff...." I slurred before crashing to the ground.

~

Coming too, I shot up and wildly looked around, finding myself rather disorientated.

"Woah, Aud, love, calm down." My gaze landed on Spike as he was standing next to me and I scrunched up my face in confusion.

"Where-" I did a quick scan of my surroundings and realized I was laying on a couch in the lobby in front of Angel's office. "How? I was-"

"Security got the bugger just before he left the building with you. Gunn had them leave you here to let the sedatives wear off." Spike explained as I threw my legs over the edge of the couch while holding my head.

"What happened?"

"Uh, turns out ol' Roger was in with the cyborgs only it wasn't _actually_ that old Watcher, it was another man-bot using a glamour. Tried to make it out with Angel too, so don't feel too bad about gettin' tranqued. Oh, and Percy shot the blighter while still thinking it was his father." Spike filled me in while sitting down next to me. "But, hey, at least now no one's trying to drag you to England against your will."

"How's Wes?" I looked up at the blond, but he was looking at something else and I followed his gaze to see Wesley.

"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. How are you feeling, Aud?"

"Like I got ran over by a rhino. It'll pass."

"Heard what happened up top." Spike stood up and had a sympathetic look on his face. "Offin' your dad and all. I don't know if you know this, but, uh, I killed my mum. Actually, I'd already killed her, then she tried to shag me, so I had to-" He had his hand raised as if he were holding a stake and Wesley stopped him.

"Thank you. I'm....very comforted." The human looked more disturbed, honestly and Spike gave him a nod. "Right." And the ex-Watcher just walked away.

"You- Is _that_ why your trigger was-"

"Yes."

"....Huh. No wonder you blocked it."

"I know, right? But I'm over it. Oh, but I got to punch somebody!"

"Really? Good for you!"


	100. So please turn on your magic beam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: Mature content ahead, proceed at own risk*

My ears were twitching like mad as they were picking up the sounds of all of the phones in the office ringing. People were walking around with confusion evident on their faces and I was walking towards Angel's office to see what the Hell was going on. I spotted the brunette standing in the doorway of his office, talking to Spike as he had a bloody nose and was touching his chest.

_'Wait a minute....bloody nose?'_ My brows furrowed and I watched the blond take Angel's mug and start downing the blood in it.

"Oh, God. It's bloody ambrosia." He sighed with content. "Is this otter?"

"Hey, what's going-"

"I'm back, Charlie boy! That's what's goin'." Spike threw his arms out and hugged Gunn.

"He's corporeal. When did this- I mean, how-"

"I don't know." Angel stated and I finally reached them. "He just-"

"I got it! Must've been that box of flashy I got in the mail."

"You got? From who?"

"Don't know. Don't care. But if you find out, give him a bloody kiss on the mouth for me." Spike shook his head and set my hand onto Spike shoulder just to see for myself that he wasn't all Casper.

"Holy shit. How in the Hell did- What?" My tail twitched as I was poking at him and he grinned before grabbing me and lifting me up by my thighs, wrapping my legs around his waist as he kissed me.

"Oh, my- Harmony, what is going on with the phones?" I heard Angel ask.

"Nobody knows. It's all over the office. And all there is is," She made a noise to mimic what was being heard. "on the other end."

"God, I missed the taste of you." Spike said lowly when he finally pulled back from the kiss and I had a dazed smile while purring. "If you need Aud for anything, piss off. Come on, love." The bleached blond set me back onto my feet, grabbing my hand and running off down a hall while dragging me behind him. I wasn't an idiot, I knew what he had in mind as he was searching the many offices in the halls.

Passing an open one with only one person in it, Spike actually back-tracked and pointed at the guy inside.

"You- We need your office. Get out."

"What? I-I don't take orders from a gho- Hey!" Spike grabbed the man and drug him into the hallway. "You can't just- Get your hands off!" The vampire slammed the door in the man's face who then banged on the door.

"Piss off!" Spike shouted before turning to me and throwing off his leather duster. "Now, let's catch up on missed time, pet." The blond grabbed my face, pulling me in for another kiss and dropping his hands to grab my ass. My purr only grew in volume as his palms slid up my back and under my shirt.

God, it felt wonderful to feel his hands on my skin again, and he only broke our kiss long enough to pull my shirt over my head. Slipping my hands under his shirt, I nipped his bottom lip while purring as I ran my palms over his muscled torso. He undid the clasp of my bra with ease while backing me up until my butt hit the edge of the desk.

Reaching down, I nearly ripped his belt while trying to undo it and unzipped his pants. My bra was thrown over his shoulder as he groped my breasts and began to kiss along my jaw to my neck.

_Fuck_ it felt good with how he massaged and pinched my nipples. Heat was pooling between my legs as his knees parted mine. My tail automatically wrapped around his leg as I ground my hips into his thigh, finding myself rather impatient as he started to undo my jeans and pull them off.

Spike easily lifted me onto the desk, throwing off my shoes to get my pants off the rest of the way as well. The vampire literally tore off my panties and started working my clit with his left hand, making me moan as I fell back onto the desk. His right hand was back on my chest while his mouth was on my throat and collarbone, alternating between nipping and kissing.

"God, you smell so bloody good." Spike groaned before sliding a finger between my wet folds, causing my back to arch and me to moan again. "Oh, I missed that." The man may have been in a rush to get off, but he was still taking the time to make sure I was ready for him. Ever the gentleman.

"Fuck~" I moaned, digging my claws into the desk as he added another finger, pumping and curling them inside of me. Normally, I would have complained about him being still fully clothed and me being butt ass naked save for my socks, but I honestly didn't care in that moment. The air was thick with the scent of arousal and I was leaving scratch marks on the polished, wooden surface I laid on.

I actually gave a whimper when Spike leaned back and pulled his fingers out, but my face flushed even more as I watched him suck them clean while moaning.

"I'm gonna have you screamin', love." The bleached blond gave a devilish smile and shoved his pants to his knees before grabbing my thighs and pulling me closer to the edge of the desk. He made a face of pure bliss after thrusting his cock into me and we both moaned at the feeling. "Fuckin'- Oh, pet, we're not leavin' this office 'any' time soon."

"I've got no- Ahh~!- complaints." I replied as he grabbed the back of one of my knees, pushing it towards my chest while his other hand he placed on the desk for balance as he was pumping his dick in and out of me. My other leg hooked over his waist as I heard ripping from my claws dragging down his back.

Well....goodbye to his shirt.

Spike rolled his hips and my toes curled. Running my fingers through his hair, I mussed up his slicked back hairstyle while nipping and sucking at the side of his neck. With my tail and leg that was around him I flipped the bleached blond onto the desk while straddling him, raking my claws over his chest as my head fell back with a moan. Spike grabbed my hips as the desk began to rock and clenched his jaw as he groaned. My breasts were bouncing while I rode his throbbing cock and I liked seeing the hickies forming all over his throat.

"Mine~" I lowly purred, grabbing the front of his torn shirt and yanking him up for a kiss. I gasped when my lip got nicked and pulled back to see his face had gone demonic.

"Oh, shit. Sorry, I-" Spike cut himself off with a moan since I hadn't stopped my movement, and I smirked while running my tongue over my bottom lip as it was already healing. Grabbing the back of his head, I slid my tongue into his mouth and he groaned while his grip tightened on me. One of his hands left my hip and I was moaning into his mouth as his thumb was rubbing circles on my clit.

By the time we heard panicked shouting in the hall, Spike and I were on the floor since the desk had been broken and I had to pull his hair to get his head out from between my legs.

"William, as much as I'd love for you to continue, it sounds like something's going on out there." I said rather breathlessly while panting.

"Let them deal with it, pet, those blokes have got-" A man screamed in terror, making the vampire heavily sigh and roll his eyes. "Bollocks."

"Shit, where are my pants?" Rushing to get dressed, we then stepped out of the office only to nearly run into Angel and Eve walking down the Hall.

"Spike." Angel said flatly before looking at the state the blond was in with his shirt covered in tears from my claws while his neck was littered with love bites and hickies.

"Well, I guess you two are finally done." Eve raised her brows and I dropped my gaze while scratching the back of my head as Angel's face changed it's expression. The taller male looked between Spike and I like he had just learned some information that he really didn't want to know.

"Well, can't really, uh, keep at it with people screamin' and runnin' about. What the bloody Hell is going on?" Spike questioned.

"There's only supposed to be one candidate for the vampire-with-a-soul- hero part in the big show. Two of you, and the wheel of destiny starts to spin off its axis." Eve explained while looking at the vampires. "That's why everything and everyone's going mad."

"Hold on a tic, you blamin' this on us?" Spike gestured to Angel and himself.

"No, she's blaming it on _you_." The brunette vampire had his hands on his hips, giving the blond a look.

"This town might not be big enough for the both of you."

"Well, screw this town." Spike scoffed while turning to walk away. "Screw this Devil's funhouse, Angel. And screw you, for good measure. Think I'll take the new flash and bones elsewhere."

"Spike, by 'town' I mean this entire plane of existence." Eve rushed to catch up as we neared the elevators. "You won't solve this disequilibrium by leaving. You might even make it worse."

"Let's not make it worse." Gunn sounded off as he stepped out of the elevator, looking nervous as he somewhat loosened his tie. "We don't want worse." The human took a seat and wiped his forehead. "I just went to the White Room to see what the big cat had to say."

"And?"

"Cat's gone."

"Gone?" Eve's heartbeat slightly picked up, but she still wasn't truly in a panic. Either she didn't really care all that much or she was *very* good at covering her emotions.

"The White Room too. Elevator just opened up to a howling abyss. You ever heard a howling abyss? Terrible sound."

"Cat's gone means the conduit is gone, means we're alone in this. No contact with the senior partners. Just us and a big, gaping tear in the balance of the universe."

"Spike," Angel sighed. "....stay." The blond turned with furrowed brows. "Please." Goodness, the brunette looked uncomfortable saying that to Spike. "We have to work this out."

"How exactly are you gonna work this out, boss man? You tell me we're makin' a tear in the galaxy or whatnot. You think you're just gonna sew it back up?" Spike questioned.

"If there was just some way to determine which one of you the prophecy's about maybe-"

"I just read the Shanshu prophecy, and there's nothing in it-"

"Hold on. _You_ read the prophecy? The one you don't believe in. A load of rubbish, you said. Well, isn't that bloody interesting."

"Spike."

"No offense, Angel. What we need is someone who's an expert on the Shansu prophecy scriptures." Gunn said while getting to his feet.

"Fine, but Wesley's not here."

"No, but his department is."

"Oh, there's plenty of buggers there that could-"

"Do what? I'm telling you. I read the prophecy." Angel cut me off and I crossed my arms as my tail twitched.

"Angel, stop being a stubborn ass and just check. It wouldn't kill you unlike, I don't know, the end of the world would." I popped off and the brunette looked at me, seeming to debate in his head on what to do.

"Okay, but you two need to get cleaned up. It's disgusting having to smell the both of you." Angel sort of cringed while looking between Spike and I. The humans couldn't smell it, but we could and the blond and I reeked of sweat and sex.

~

"You didn't read the prophecy." The middle-aged man stated with a tone while getting up from his desk.

"I didn't?"

"You read a translation of the prophecy. It's like comparing the King James Bible with the original Aramaic or Hebrew." He grabbed a book from the table and returned to his desk. "Much of the flavor, the subtlety of usage, the historical context has been stripped away. Read the prophecy. May as well have read a 12-year-old's book report on the subject."

"I miss Wesley." Gunn mummbled.

"Okay, Sirk, point made. Listen- Is there anything in the Shanshu that can help us with what's going on?" Angel asked.

"Yeah. What's it say about me?" Spike crossed his arms while leaning on a table.

"There is a newly translated group of verses which may perhaps prove relevant. _'The root of the tree was split in two and each then will seek nourishment from the buried river._ '"

"Sounds like a gardening tip." The blond popped off and I smacked the back of my hand onto his shoulder. "What? It does."

"It's a metaphor. Please tell me I don't have to explain metaphor to you people." The old man sassed.

"Sirk, the text."

"Ah, here we are. _'Storm unleashed. The balance will falter until the vampire with the soul drinks from the Cup of Perpetual Torment.'_ "

"More metaphor." Angel rolled his eyes.

"No, that's real." Sirk stated and I wandered over to look at the book from over his shoulder. He looked at me with a strange expression, but I ignored it to look at the lines on the pages in front of him. To me, it just looked like a bunch of squiggles on the page with a few shapes and glyphs.

"So there's a cup?" Eve furrowed her brows.

"Perpetual torment? Just know that's not gonna taste very good."

"'He will have the weight of worlds upon him, binding his limbs, grinding his bones to meal, until he saves creation or destroys it.'"

"Uh, right. So what's in it for me?" Spike popped off.

"The vampire will have his past washed clean."

"And live again in mortal form." Angel added. "That part I know."

"Yeah, bet you do."

"So, Angel drinks from this cup. Our computers go back on line, phones stop ringing, and people quit turning into maniacs?" Gunn questioned.

"Who says it's Angel supposed to take the swig." The blond waved his hand while standing up all of the way. "Who says it's about him _at all_?"

"Oh, come on, Spike. You really think this is about you?"

"Oh, why the bloody Hell not?" Spike began to pace and Angel looked rather done with it all.

"Boys, let's focus on the problem at hand." Eve cut in. "We don't want to be wrong about this."

"There is no ' _wrong_ '. The drinking of the cup is predestined. That can't be changed. Whoever drinks from it was meant to. And when one is confirmed as the central figure of the prophecy the universe should realign itself." Sirk leaned back in his chair while looking at the others.

"So this cup thing- Where is it? Does it say?"

"It does offer some details, yes. Housed in the hidden city of Petra. Mm-hmm. Disappears during the crusades. Surfaces again in the Vatican. Vanishes in the third year of the Inquisition. Then- Yes. Interesting." He turned the page and Angel was on the edge of his seat.

"What?"

"It's in Nevada."

"Nevada?"

"Death Valley, to be exact. 'The earth will thrash and mark the appearance of the cup at the Columns.'"

"Columns. That sounds vaguely...."

" _'And the desert will swallow cup and house whole, and-'_ This can only be loosely translated. _'And the fat lady will sing no more.'_ "

"Opera."

"Opera?"

"Yeah. The Columns was an opera house in Death Valley. It was buried in an earthquake in '38. Made headlines in Los Angeles. That's, uh, only a few hours away. I can get there and back before morning." Angel glanced around and I was still looking at the book.

"Angel, we got a seriously major crisis goin' on here. Might not be the best time to go runnin' after some mystical cup." Gunn stated while shrugging.

"I really don't have much of a choice. If it's there, I'm just gonna have to accept the prophecy's real and hope that it stops this madness. In the meantime, you're in charge." The brunette male stood while looking at Gunn.

"Why do you reek of unease?" I questioned the man at the desk. The scent of anxiety and even a small hint of fear had begun to seep from his pores shortly after I came to stand behind him.

"Maybe because you're a demon and hovering right over him." Angel gave me a look before pausing and looking over his shoulder. "Where's Spike?"

~

Crouching on a chair in the lobby by Angel's office, I had my elbows resting on my knees while my chin was on my folded hands. I was lost in thought while the entire office was in quarantine due to something making people go mad and cry blood.

If the Shanshu prophecy were real then either Angel or Spike would have a chance at being human. They both clearly desired to be the one chosen, but if it ended up being Spike....what would happen then?

I mean, I know I'd still love him either way, but with him human would my demon half still see him as my mate? What would it be like to....to go for a walk during the day? To be more like a 'normal' couple? We'd never be like everyone else, I was a half-breed and he'd be an ex-vampire.

I'd have to be more careful with him of course, humans were so fragile. But....I could manage....I think. Could Spike handle being human again after decades of being a demon, though? He'd be weak and pretty much helpless if another demon decided to come and settle a score. He wouldn't be able to do even half of what he could now- was that what he wanted?

~

"Stairs, huh? Aud, do you mind?" I looked up when Fred called out to me and I saw the two vampires standing in front of her, covered in blood and wounds.

"What the fuck happened to you two?" I hurried over and Angel dropped his gaze. I couldn't smell any other demon on them so I simply put two and two together- They had inflicted the injuries on each other. Blinking, I suddenly turned on my heel while rearing back my fist.

Angel's face was only saved by Spike grabbing my arm and pulling me back.

"Woah there, pet. As much as I'd love to see you beat up Angel, we've got other priorities."

"Were-were you gonna _hit_ me?" Angel made a face while pointing to himself, looking as if he couldn't understand why.

"Spike's her mate, Angel. You hurt her mate." Fred said as if the reason for my aggression were obvious. The brunette vampire furrowed his brows and looked like he was going to say something but changed his mind as he turned and put his hands on his hips.

"All right, Sirk's gone, the cup is a fake, the madness is real. So what are we gonna do about it?" The brunette questioned and I found something to hand to Spike so that he could wipe the blood off his face.

"I say we start by untying the brother."

"Charles!"

"....Am I in trouble?" Harmony questioned as she stirred, strapped down to a table like Gunn. Fred began to undo the straps pinning Gunn down while Angel helped Harmony up.

"Hey. What the Hell happened?"

~

"The senior partners stepped in. Apparently, they were working on the problem since it started. They managed to temporarily stabilize the universal equilibrium. Temporarily." Eve emphasized, explaining why things were calming down at the office.

"For how long? What about Sirk and this fantasy he fed us about the cup?" Angel asked.

"The partners don't know a thing about it. They're as angry as you."

"I really doubt that."

"Don't worry, Angel. Sirk can't hide for long. We'll bring him in, find out who put him up to it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go home and ice my neck." Eve stood and turned to leave, going through Angel's office before Gunn got up and went to catch up to her. He was no doubt going to apologize for giving her the bruises on her neck.

"Well, this souled ex-ghost vampire's got some other things to catch up on." Spike pushed his chair back and got to his feet. "What do you say, Aud? A nice night out on the town?" The blond smiled at me with a mischievous glint in his eye while holding out his hand to me. Chuckling, I took his offered hand. and followed him out of the office.


	101. Mr. Sandman, bring us, please, please, please

"Hardest part of the job is terminating an employee." I heard Gunn say as some people with a body bag stepped into the elevator as I was stepping out.

"Once again, keeping corporate America safe from evil." The bleached blond in front of me popped off as I watched a guy walk by with a demon's head in his hands.

"Spike! Aud!"

"I was wonderin' when you two would turn up."

"Where have y'all been? It's been days!" Fred asked while looking at us.

"Out enjoying freedom from my ghostly confines." Spike smiled while putting his hands into his pockets.

"There hasn't been any side-effects since you recorporealized, have there?"

"Had a bit of a hangover, but that's to be expected after all the drinking."

"Like a dumbass." I piped up.

"Mm. But we just thought we'd swing by and say our final farewells."

"You're leaving?" Wesley furrowed his brows while crossing his arms.

"You catch on quick, don't you? Yeah, thought we'd push off, seeing as how low-rider here just ran off." Spike pointed his thumb at me and I rubbed the back of my neck.

"I'm not sure that's wise given the Shanshu prophecy is still unresolved." The ex-Watcher stated.

"That's your problem, mate. You're welcome to that heroic destiny." The blond waved his hand in Angel's direction. "Whether you deserve it or not. Me, I've got better things to do than wait around for the four bloody horsemen." He turned to walk away but only got two steps before Wesley spoke.

"Spike-"

"Let him go."

"Yeah, here's the thing." Spike turned back and looked at Angel. "Could use a little walkin'-around money. How 'bout a few hundred?"

"How 'bout, no?"

"Typical, you cheap sod. Right, then. Settle for some wheels."

"If it's gonna get you out of here faster, fine. Just not the Viper."

"Viper it is, then. Any messages for Buffy or the old man?"

"Tell them you're a moron." Angel replied while going to his office and Spike shook his head.

"Well, bon voyage, Spikester. Don't be a stranger." Lorne gestured before looking at me and smiling. "You too, Snowflake. Gonna miss you and that crazy 'coon tail." The green demon gave me a hug and I could tell he was being honest. Letting him go, he went on to get back to work.

"Fred." Spike turned to the brunette. "I want you to know, uh, I mean, all that work you put in tryin' to, you know, cure me of the ghosties."

"I didn't do anything." She shook her head while smiling.

"Oh, you did. You....you believed in.... I mean, you tried. I won't forget that."

"You're welcome." Fred nodded before I gave her a big hug.

"Seriously, Fred, if you ever need some ass kicking done I'll be here in a heartbeat." She seemed surprised that I had hugged her, but reciprocated the action while chuckling.

"Thanks, Aud, but-"

"No buts. You need me, you call. No hesitation."

"Why do I feel like you like her more than me?"

"Shut up, Spike. And you, Wesley." I turned to the ex-Watcher and threw my arms out. "If you hadn't of been here, who knows what would have happened. Also, thanks for letting me crash in your office and just being there for me." I hugged him as well and he pat my back.

"It was good to see you grew into such a fine person. More human than some people."

"Ah, fuck, I think I might tear up."

"Oh, don't do that. This goodbye is only temporary. You can visit whenever, you know."

"Like Lorne said, don't be a stranger." Fred added.

~

"You think it'll be awkward showin' up after months with me in tow?" Spike questioned, one hand on the steering wheel while trying to find something to listen to on the radio.

"Honestly....I don't know." I sighed, rubbing my forehead while glancing out the tinted window. "Like I've said, I was in a bad place when I just up and disappeared on them. The last they saw of me....it's good enough reason to worry."

"What about that letter?"

"A letter is different from actually seeing or hearing from me. Not to mention, hey, you're alive and fleshy again. God, I hope Pops doesn't have a heart attack when we show up."

"You really think he would?"

"Well, he's not exactly a spring chicken anymore and, I repeat, you're alive. In a manner of speaking." Spike finally settled on a channel and I leaned back in my seat. There was a pause and I felt Spike glance at me.

"Love, if you're not ready we can wait."

"What?"

"Well, you're stinkin' up the Viper with stress."

"Sorry." Sighing, I began to gather up my hair to put it back. "It's just....it's a lot. Not just for me, but for them as well. I have to go back sometime, and sooner is better than later."

"Whatever you say, pet."

"Wait, how are we gonna get there? You don't have a passport or anything." There was a pause and I could see the gears turning in Spike's head.

"It might take longer, but we could just get a couple of boat tickets."

"Yeah, that'll work." I nodded, and we fell quiet while listening to the radio. However, the longer Spike drove the more nervous I became.


	102. Mr. Sandman, bring us a dream

Coming back to the table after washing my face and hands from the messy food I had eaten, I saw a man setting down a glass in front of Spike.

"Uh, yeah....thanks. But, uh, not really my type, Mary. So, be a good lad and push off." The bleached blond pushed the glass away but the man stayed and I plopped down next to Spike, staring at the man with dark brown hair that nearly reached his shoulders. He was staring right back and Spike shifted in his seat. "What are you gawkin' at?"

"People like you, whiling away their time in some cheesy downtown bar? Looks like someone's feeling kinda lost."

"Is that right? Funny. Thought I knew exactly where we are. A place called The Flying Table."

"You know....we really should talk."

"You know, really not." Spike sighed, seeming a bit irritated. "I don't know what you're selling but best you peddle your wares someplace else if you know what's good for you."

"Spike, get any interesting mail lately?" The man asked and both the vampire and I paused.

"Who the bloody Hell are you?"

"You're new best friend." He sat down across from us, grabbing the drink he had brought over with him.

"You? You sayin' you're responsible for me bein' back?" Spike leaned on the table and I studied the man further. He seemed normal enough, dressed and smelled clean, and smelled pretty human. "Sent that package with the de-ghosting mojo."

"And?"

"The amulet." And the man put his finger to his nose before pointing at the blond.

"You mailed that thing to Wolfram and Hart?"

"Couldn't leave your spirit trapped in a bottle at the bottom of a Hellmouth, could we?"

"Who's ' _we_ '?" I questioned, being rather suspicious of this stranger.

"Come on, Aud. You must know there's a lot of folks out there that are interested in the both of you. Powerfully interested, one might-"

"Enough with the cryptic, Butch." Spike cut the man off, grabbed his wrist before the human took a drink from his glass. "I wanna know who or what you are, what you want, and how fast I can snap your forearm before you answer."

"You can call me Doyle." He replied and I noticed a series of tattoos wrapping around his arm. "It's not what I want. It's what you want." Spike let him got and the man rubbed his arm. "You got your life back now. What are you gonna do about it? Not only that, you got her in tow with you now too."

"Yeah, you definitely don't scream stranger danger." I said with sarcasm while getting to my feet.

"Seems the lady's heard enough." Spike popped off and the man stood to try and stop me.

"Don't you want to know why you're in this dimension? You've both got a destiny."

"Like the destiny that was supposed to be at the bottom of a cup of perpetual nothing?" The blond vampire said over his shoulder, walking next to me now and I could hear the brunette right behind us over the music and chatter.

"What? Just stop and listen-" I felt a hand on my shoulder and I twisted around, grabbing the human by his throat and pinning him against the wall.

"If you know so much about us you must know Aud could snap your neck like a toothpick without even tryin'. And, uh, neither of us are too fond of being played."

"What are you-"

"It was you who sent me and Angel on that wild goose chase, wasn't it?" Spike questioned while leaning on the wall next to Doyle.

"I don't know anything." His face was turning a little red since I was making it a bit hard to breath for him. "I'm just doing what they tell me!"

"Hold on, love, ease up a little. They?" The vampire waved his hand at me and I loosened my grip.

"They! Them." He angrily gestured to the ceiling. "Bringing you back. Look, I'm just a guy. I'm nobody. A drifter. I was minding my own business and then one day WHAM! I start having these visions."

"Visions?"

"Yeah. Like....brain pictures but they hurt. Like when you eat ice cream too fast. Start seeing people in trouble." The man explained and I let go of his throat, crossing my arms as I looked at him with narrowed eyes. "We need a champion." He turned to look at Spike while rubbing his neck.

"Hey, you are barking up the wrong vampire. That's Angel's beat."

"Angel's not in the picture anymore. He's working the other side of the tracks. Nobody is out there helping the people that really need help."

"Wait, so I'm supposed to jump every time you get a vision of someone in dire peril?"

"Why do you think we're having this conversation? I had one right before I came here. You two don't have to believe me. But if a young girl gets murdered tonight, and you both didn't lift a finger to stop it ask yourselves....can you live with that?"

~

"Evenin'." Spike called out to the vampire pinning a screaming woman to a brick wall. There was only one, so I sat on the edge of a crate and watched the blond casually stroll over.

"Get lost."

"I already am, according to some."

"What?"

"Help me!" The woman cried.

"I don't think you heard me." The vampire threw the woman down and fully turned to face Spike. "Get out of here."

"Can't do it."

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life." The other vampire was taller than the blond, but he went down pretty easily when Spike just punched him in the throat and threw him into some wooden railing. Shoving the vampire into a broken plank, he turned to dust and even exploded onto the blond.

I snorted from where I sat and I knew Spike had heard me because he shot me a look before trying to dust himself off.

"Thank you! Thank you! That thing was gonna kill me!"

"Well, what do you expect? Out alone in this neighborhood- have half a mind to kill you myself, you half-wit."

"What?!"

"I mean, honestly, what kind of retard wears heels like that in an dark alley? Take two steps, break your bloody ankle."

"I was just trying to get home."

"Then get a cab, you moron." He ushered the woman off while I chuckled and walked over. "And on the way, if a stranger offers you candy, *don't* get in the van!" Spike shouted after her.

"You ass."

"What? It's like she has no bloody common sense!"

"Believe me now?" We looked up to see Doyle walking into the alley.

"What? Your victim vision? Please, can't throw a bloody stone in this town without hittin' some bimbo who's in trouble."

"Tough guy, huh?" Doyle smirked while Spike slid his hands into his jacket pockets. "Nice work, by the way. Takin' out that vamp."

"Oh, yeah. Epic battle." The blond said flatly as he glanced over his shoulder to the pile of dust. "My finest hour."

"You just saved a girl's life. That's nothing to laugh off. Though, you could try being a little nicer next time, you almost made her cry."

"Next time?" Spike looked at Doyle like he was unfathomably stupid.

"Well, that's up to you. ....And you." Doyle's gaze drifted to me. "A lot more people need saving."

"News flash, Sparky: Don't need your help. Been saving people long before you showed up."

"Not like this. You just helped a person when there wasn't anything in it for you. That's not the Spike I know."

"Oh, is that right? And what Spike is that?"

"Spike that's only out for himself. Only does good deeds to impress....women. Or, well, _a_ woman."

"You better watch your-"

"I'm just saying you did good. From what I hear, Angel didn't save the girl on his first mission."

"What's Angel got to do with this?" I crossed my arms, raising a brow at Doyle.

"Well, nothin'. Not anymore."

"You better start giving answers or I'll throw your ass into a vampire nest, see how you like getting torn apart." I narrowed my eyes and Doyle raised his hands.

"You'll get answers, but we've got other things to take care of first. And I don't think this time you can just sit and watch."

~

"Let me handle them this time." I pat Spike's chest, spotting the couple hiding behind a car that had seen us take out the five vampires.

"Wha- I can be nice." I simply rose my eyebrows at him and he rolled his eyes. Turning to the couple, I approached them slowly.

"It's all right now, you can come out."

"What were those things?"

"I think you're better off not knowing. Believe me."

"Wait." The woman spoke up as I turned to follow Spike as he was walking away. "Who are you people?"

"We're the heroes." The blond answered over his shoulder.

~

The vampire and I exchanged looks as we followed Doyle down a set of stairs to a pale blue door. The human unlocked the door and walked into the darkness beyond.

"You going to invite me in?" Spike questioned and the brunette sighed.

"It's not my place." He flicked on the light to show a wide open area with walls painted the same color as the door. "It's yours." Doyle turned to look at us and we sort of paused. "Building's quiet. Windows don't get direct sunlight. You've got sewer entrance for your daytime travel."

"What, no cable?" Spike popped off while entering the apartment and I began to look around. There was carpet except for in the little kitchen area, a bedroom right across from the living room, and I could see a small dining area next to the kitchen.

"You've got water, electricity, heating, all the basics. You even got a Korean market on the corner open all night."

"Look, appreciate what you've done for me, making me corporeal and all, but I draw the line at being your kept boy."

"Oh. You got someplace else to live? I mean, a man of your means must have money tucked away somewhere. You'll find somethin' soon." Doyle said and Spike glanced at me briefly before turning to the human. "I'm offering you a place to hang your hats. Or....coat. Could say thank you."

"Great. Another ruddy basement."

"What do you want? Creature comforts? You could go to Wolfram and Hart. This place has everything you need to be a hero. Job requires somewhat of a spartan existence." The brunette went on as the blond was looking around again.

"You call that a bed?" Spike pointed to twin sized mattress on a metal frame.

"What, do you two not cuddle?" Doyle popped off while chuckling.

~

There was a knock at the door and the bleached blond hoisted himself to his feet to answer it.

"I didn't know you made friends already." I said over my shoulder and Spike gave me a look.

"I was about to say the same thing." He stated before opening the door. "Well, look who's come to call. Crockett and Tubbs. Come on in, boys. Out of the cold, into the damp."

"It's not that bad."

"Aud, love, you slept in an office on bean bags." Spike retorted while walking over to the fridge and I looked back to see who had come in. "Suppose I should've expected a visit from Big Brother's L.A. branch sooner or later, though. Can I get you a frosty?" The vampire bent over to grab a beer from the fridge and after Gunn was done staring at me while I was cooking eggs, he turned his attention to the blond. However, Wesley was still looking at the two of us with an odd expression.

"What are you up to, Spike?"

"Man gets right to the meat of the existential nut, doesn't he?"

"Just a little concerned. You don't call. You don't write. What's your angle?" Gunn questioned as Spike tossed the bottle cap into the trash. "Last time we saw you, you both were booking a one-way to the continent."

"Change of plans. Change of heart. Changed our minds, mates."

"....Sounds like you've been busy." Wesley spoke up and Spike sat at the table as I turned the stove off and opened a cabinet to get a plate. "We're getting reports of a pair of vigilantes matching your descriptions."

"Yes, that's what you people do, innit? You get reports. You sign checks. You read memos. Here's to the corporate teat." Spike took a drink from the green bottle in his hand. "How'd you find us?"

"Wasn't too hard. Put a couple of our physics on it this afternoon." Gunn answered.

"One of the advantages of the corporate teat." Wesley added.

"What can I do for you? Need me to help you collate something?"

"From what we hear, you're fighting the good fight these days." Wesley said as I sat at the table with my plate piled with eggs and crunched up bacon.

"We figure that's our territory." Gunn slid his hands into his pockets.

"Is that what this is about? You're hurt 'cause I stepped on your toesies?"

"Not at all." The two men standing looked at each other. "We're wondering why you two left in the first place."

"If you want to save the world, we've got the resources to help you do it."

"No offense, Mr. Vader, but I've got no itch to join the evil empire."

"It's different now. You both know it. We've changed things."

"Yeah, and what did I tell you guys the whole time I was there?" I waved my fork, glancing up from my plate to look at them. "That place is evil no matter how you paint it. Give it a fresh new coat but we all know what's still underneath."

"Place like that doesn't change. Not from the inside, not from the out. You sign on there, it changes you, puts things in your head. Spins your compass needle around till you can't cross the street without tripping the proverbial old lady and stepping on her glasses." Spike added while pointing at Gunn. "And it's not like I wasn't there either, gents, like I wasn't watching you. Had to haunt the damn place. Remember?"

"Things aren't that cut and dried, Spike. We're making a difference. We're just....playing by a new set of rules."

"So what? You want me to put on a suit, come play with you?"

"Something like that."

"I can't believe Angel would sign off on that." I stated after swallowing the food in my mouth and the two men shifted on their feet.

"Unless- ....He doesn't know you're here, does he?" They said nothing and Spike scoffed. "Hedging our bets, are we, boys?"

"That's not how it is."

"And the compass needle keeps spinnin'. And the world gets murkier and murkier."

"Look, I get we're having a conversation and all, but why the Hell do you two keep looking at us like that?" I questioned.

"Like what?" Gunn furrowed his brows and Wesley cleared his throat.

"Well, Aud, seeing you two like this is rather, uh....domestic." The ex-Watcher raised his eyebrows while glancing around.

"....What'd you expect, Percy? The place to look like a mess and us to be at each other's throats?"

"Honestly I didn't know what to expect. I don't even really know how you two.... It's a rather strange concept, to say plainly."

"You mean the former Council pet and an ex-homicidal vampire?" I smacked Spike's arm with the back of my hand.

"I'm not a pet, you overgrown tic."

"You don't seem to mind when I call you pet any other time."

"I will bite you if you don't shut up."

"Oh, love, that's not really a threat when you know I like it." Spike chuckled and I felt my ears get hot.

"I think we'll go now." Gunn was already turning towards the door.

~

Seeing the front door already open, I used my foot to open it wider. I already knew there was nothing dangerous inside from the smell, so I just went on in and set the bags in my hands onto the table. Spike sighed as he followed me in and put down the bags and booze he was carrying.

"See you found the market." Doyle popped off from where he sat in the living room.

"Yeah, well, I eat more than just eggs." I replied, unloading the bags and putting away the food.

"Didn't know we were gonna have a roommate."

"Just checking in." The human smiled, taking his feet off of the coffee table to stand up from the couch. "Keeping tabs. Kinda what I do." Doyle grabbed a bear from the table and took the cap off.

"Yeah, well," Spike took the beer from the human before he could take a drink. "don't need a babysitter. So, uh, bugger off." And the vampire took a drink from the bottle.

"You this prickly with all your friends?"

"I'm soft on the inside." The blond had a sarcastic tone, but he wasn't lying. He really was a softy under it all.

"Spike, things would g- ....things would go a lot smoother if you-" Doyle was cut off by a groan as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Oh, bloody Hell. What was that about?"

"I just had another vision." The human stated and I paused as I was emptying out another bag.

"Oh, great. Look, don't expect us to jump every time you got one of these vision thingies."

"Oh, no. I think you're gonna wanna jump on this one."

"Really now? And why is that?" I tilted my head and Doyle raised his eyebrows.

"Who's involved and you get to burn something." Narrowing my eyes at the human I put a hand onto my hip while the other was on the table.

"You have my attention."

~

It was screaming so shrilly that it hurt my ears as it was burning, and once the creature tried to run for it Spike kicked it like a soccer ball and sent it flying into a wall, splattering where it hit. Angel then groaned and began to stir from where he was laying on the floor. Kneeling beside the brunette, I helped him to sit up.

"Well, that'll be a bitch of a clean-up." The bleached blond popped off, looking at the guts and burnt skin on the wall dripping to the floor.

"Spike?" Angel looked so confused. "Aud?"

"No need to thank us. Just helpin' the helpless. Well, that's done." And he began to walk away.

"Wait, shouldn't we-"

"Oh, he'll be fine, love. Be right as rain in a little bit."

"If you say so. But if he dies, I'm punching you."

"Why are you so worried about him?"

"Because I'm a nice person and Buffy still does care a lot about him."

"Oh, so it's 'cause of Buffy, is it?" Spike looked at me and I rolled my eyes at his expression.


	103. They say freak

"I have no problem tracking." I huffed while crossing my arms as I stood in the elevator next to Spike. "I really don't."

"Mm."

"It's just....he made it seem like I'm just a sniffer dog!"

"Well, your not."

"I'm not some bloodhound, okay?" I was still sort of ranting to the blond because of an encounter with Doyle not too long ago. Him being human was understandable, he just wouldn't understand everything about a demon- or in this case a half-demon- but he had spoken as if Spike and I were a K-9 unit with me as the dog. He didn't say it outright of course, but still....

"Love, you're a predator. The wee man pisses you off just bloody eat him." Spike popped off and I gave him a look. "Joking, joking."

"Very funny." I said flatly as the elevator doors opened.

"Oh. Well, fancy this." Spike chuckled as we stepped out while coming out of the elevator right next to us was Angel. "Bitty slug we saved you from scramble your brains after all? Come to check yourself in?"

"What are you doing here, Spike?" Angel questioned while following the signs to the nurse's station while the bleached blond and I followed him.

"Didn't get the memo? Hero of the people now." Spike replied and I was looking around, smelling a wide range of things from antiseptic to generic hospital soap.

"Then go and annoy them."

"When we're done. Heard one of the simples went for a stroll."

"And I'll get her back, without your help. Or yours." Angel added while looking over his shoulder to me.

"Goody for you, 'cause not offering it."

"Look, shouldn't you be out in the streets, protecting the city from....people like you?" Angel paused while looking at the bent up and busted gate door.

"We go where we're needed."

"Which isn't here."

"Gentlemen, may I help you?" Someone inside the nurses station spoke when we finally reached it.

"Other way 'round, Doc. Um-"

"Here to get your patient back. Angel, Wolfram & Hart." The brunette handed a business card to the balding man and he inspected it.

"A lawyer? I already told the police everything I know."

"Well, let's go over it again, just in case you left out any details."

"Yeah, what he said, but with a bit more of a threat at the end." Spike added and the Doctor looked between the two males and then to me before leading us to the girl's room.

"She was a special case. Her family was murdered in their home when she was ten. Whoever did it took Dana and tortured her for months. She was found one day naked and bleeding wandering the streets, barely functional." Dr. Rabinaw explained while Angel was flipping through some drawings the girl had done. The bed was flipped onto it's side next to the barred window and the only light was coming from the bright hallway. "Nearly catatonic ever since."

"Looks like she snapped out of it." Spike spoke up and I was looking at the mass of drawings all over the walls. It seemed Dana would draw on any piece of paper she could get her hands on.

"Several months ago her condition changed. Increasing levels of agitation accompanied by explosive outbursts of inhuman strength."

"Right. Demon possession."

"That's ridiculous."

"Not helping Spike." Angel stated and I flipped up a paper that was pinned over another.

"No, I'm doin'. You can hang out for the show-and-tell me nothing. I got a demon that needs repossessing. Come on, Aud." There was an odd familiarity to the drawing I was looking at and on an impulse I took it off of the wall and kept looking at it while following Spike out.

I had yet to say a word while riding in the passenger seat of the car, just staring at the drawing in my hands. Spike seemed to notice as well and I felt his eyes on me as we were at a red light.

"You've been awfully quiet."

"Mm." I hummed, not even looking up.

"....You okay? It's just a possession, love. The girl will be fine as long as we get the bloody thing out."

"That's not my problem. Are you sure this is a possession?" Raising my head as the light turned green, Spike continued to drive but had a look of slight confusion on his face.

"Pretty textbook. Why do you ask?"

"Because this is an Aclifr." I stated while raising the drawing done in black and grey crayon.

"A _what_ now?"

"An Aclifr. It's a cold climate demon. And this black thing beside it looks like a Hatsun. Spike, I think those drawings in Dana's room are all demons." He seemed to pause and briefly glanced at me before looking back to the road.

"Then I guess whatever's possessing her knows a lot about different demons, then." The blond replied and I turned back to the drawing. Was it honestly a possession or was there more to it we just weren't seeing?

"Can you smell a demon in someone possessed?"

"Mm, sometimes."

"That room reeked of human."

~

Gathering up the supplies to get whatever demon that was in Dana out, Spike had gone on ahead to get the girl. His half of the job was to subdue her while my part was to set up the extraction spell in the warehouse we had tracked her to.

However, I heard glass shattering before a car was squealing to a halt and I ran. Skidding around a corner, I saw Spike and Angel and glass all over the ground.

"What the Hell happened?!"

"I just thought I'd see what it was like to bounce off the pavement. Pretty much what I expected."

"Why the-" And I cut myself off while looking up, seeing the broken windows near the top of the building.

"Stay out of this. Tactical's on the way." Angel pointed.

"Oh, right. Sure, she'll hang around till they show up."

"You should have waited." Angel stood really close to Spike, having rather aggressive body language and a harsh tone.

"Hey, keep your knickers on. At least now I know what we're dealin' with. It's a Chinese demon. Maybe a water dragon or one of those elemental thingies." The bleached blond waved his hands and Angel clenched his jaw before walking away and sighing. "What?"

~

"A psychotic Vampire Slayer." Spike stated as we entered the lobby in front of Angel's office.

"Told you it wasn't a possession." I popped off.

"Yeah, well, you didn't know either."

"Yeah, well, if I had I wouldn't have let you go alone like an idiot."

"Like an idiot?"

"Yes, an _idiot_. You went to fight a Vampire Slayer _on your own_." I pointed and Angel tilted his head.

"And let her get away."

"At least I was trying to stop her."

"Oh, and how'd that work out?"

"At least I know the game now, don't I? Killed two Slayers with my own hands. Think I can handle _one_ that's gone daft in the melon."

"You're not handling anything, Spike. Okay, Wesley contacted Rupert Giles and he sent in his _top guy_ to retrieve her." Angel pointed before opening his office doors.

"Angel. We were just about to-"

"Spike?" And I froze when I heard and saw who Pops sent....

"Oh, for the love of-"

"Spike? It's you. It's really you. My therapist thought I was holding onto false hope, but I knew you'd come back." Andrew was grabbing the blond's shoulders as if to make sure he was real before hugging him. "You're like-You're like Gandalf the White resurrected from the pit of the Balrog, more beautiful than ever." The scrawny male was crying and touching the unamused vampire's face. "He's alive, Frodo. He's alive." He hugged Spike yet again but the blond wasn't moving at all with his hands just at his sides. "Wait! Oh, wait until Aud hears about this! You have no idea what's happened since you left. She's-she's missing right now, but, oh, she'll come when she hears the news. This is truly a miracle." Andrew sniffled and Spike looked over his shoulder at me with a deadpanned expression.

"Aud, love, you want to tell him?"

"Did you say- Aud!" And Andrew let Spike go to swing his arms around me. "Look at you!" He then held me at arms length, still crying but smiling at the same time. "Everyone so worried- Oh, but just _look_ at you!" The human repeated and I knew why- last time he had seen me I was pretty much catatonic and hardly eating or even walking around. "It's so good to see you two together again."

"You, uh, know each other?" Angel questioned and Andrew sniffed, regaining his composure.

"We-we saved the world together. I mean, Buffy helped, but it was mostly us." I shot Andrew a look as he was fixing the coat on his suit. "So, what happened? Last I heard, you went all pillar of fire down in the Hellmouth."

"Can we save memory lane till _after_ we contain this psychotic super-powered killing machine?" Angel cut in.

"We were just about to bring everyone up to speed on Slayer mythology."

"I'll take it from here, Pryce. Best they hear it from an expert." Andrew returned to the long table where the others were sat.

"Oh, right. Let the top man have a go." Spike popped off.

"Please....enlighten us." Wesley said while sitting down.

"Gather round and attend to a most unusual tale. A tale I like to call the _'Slayer of the Vampyres._ '" Andrew cleared his throat while walking around the table. "Eons ago, on the dark continent, three wise elders decided to fight evil with a taste of its own sinistro. They took a young girl, and they imbued her with the power of a demon. Thusly, the first Slayer of the Vampyres was born. But, alas, the existence of the Slayer is often brutal and short-lived. And the Primitive, as she was called, boasted no exception. But the elders had foreseen this inevitability and devised a way for her power to live on."

"In every generation, one is chosen." Fred stated.

"Yes, attractive, slender woman." Andrew nodded to her while still walking around the table. "There are many potentials, as we....experts call them."

"Hundreds, maybe thousands per generation." Wesley added.

"Each of them experiencing vivid dreams, some say nightmares, of the heroics of past Slayers. But only one can be chosen."

"That's, uh, really great. But was actually know all that."

"You think you know, my good man. You think you know." Andrew picked up a pipe and was trying to light it. When he managed to do so, he coughed a puff of smoke and I just took the pipe from him.

"No smoking indoors."

"Right." He cleared his throat and Lorne waved his hand.

"Wait. So if there's only one Slayer, what is little Miss Whack Your Head Off doing scampering around?"

"A little Sunnydale surprise." Spike raised his eyebrows while nodding.

"Six months ago, Buffy, Vampyr Slayer extraordinaire had her lesbian witch make with the beaucoup de magie with some Aud blood to boost. One light show later-"

"All potentials become Slayers." Angel shifted in his seat as Andrew finally sat down.

"An army of Slayers. Brilliant stratagem. But with the Watcher's Council destroyed, how will these new Slayers receive their necessary-"

"Mr. Giles and a few key Sunnydale alum have been tracking down the recently chosen. Guiding them, training them, giving them the full X-Men minus the crappy third act. But this Dana girl, she's an anomaly no one could have foreseen." Andrew explained while pulling out a....packed lunch with his name on it. "Tortured, traumatized, driven insane by Yoda-knows-who. A lot like you, Aud- minus the insanity." The scrawny male popped off and there was a pause as the people at the table just stopped and looked at me. "....You guys didn't know?"

"Explains why the skirt was yappin' at me in Chinese." The bleached blond spoke up, quick to continue the conversation on Dana. "Must've thought she was the Slayer I took out back in the Boxer Rebellion."

"You mean the Slayer you murdered." Angel looked at Spike with clear distaste.

"Well, I didn't have a soul back then, did I?"

"Right. 'Cause having one now is making such a difference."

"Hey, Angel? How about you _fuck off_? Or should I bring up the countless things you did as Angelus, huh?" I snapped at the brunette and he seemed taken by surprise, as did the others at the table.

"You corporates go ahead with your talky-talk. Anybody needs us, we'll be out doin' his job." Spike grabbed my arm, literally dragging me away while I was glaring at Angel the entire time. All night the brunette had been an ass to Spike. I mean, their dislike of each other was a common thing, but tonight he seemed to be laying on the sass and snarky comments thickly.

"Spike. You think this is a joke?" Angel got up, following us out of his office.

"Only if you're the punchline."

"Look, we're the last people that should be confronting her. She's a Slayer. She has every reason to hate us, and she's unstable. In her mind, there probably aren't any good vampyres. ....Vampires. She exists for one reason- to destroy creatures like us."

"Dance of Death. Eternal struggle. Right. Got it."

"You will. When she's staking you in the heart." Angel popped off and I just spun around and punched the brunette square in the jaw. He went down and without even really thinking, I grabbed the front of his shirt to yank him up to hit him again. I don't know why, but I was just so _angry_ at Angel. Logically, I knew the vampire was just being a dick because of the shared history with Spike and I shouldn't let it bother me so much, but I was _pissed_.

"Aud!"

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no!" I saw Andrew running over out of the corner of my eye and pulled something out of his coat. There was the sound of fast moving air and then I felt a prick on my shoulder. I had hardly felt it, so I ignored it until I began to feel....

~

Groaning as I sat up, I found myself on the couch in Wesley's office. Furrowing my brows, I looked around and saw Fred messing with something at the desk.

"What the Hell happened?" I spoke up and the woman turned to look at me and I saw her laptop was in front of her.

"Andrew shot you with a tranquilizer." She replied while giving a sheepish smile and walking over. "You kind of....attacked Angel." Rubbing my forehead, I swung my legs over the side of the couch and looked up at her as she took a seat across from me.

"I....I don't know why, though. I mean....I _don't_ just do that. I don't let my anger control me." Confusion was clear in my voice and Fred fiddled with the end of her sleeve.

"Andrew said it was because of your hormones."

"My what now?"

"Since you didn't take that journal with you, he and Giles kind of read through it. He explained that your kind can be....very protective of your mates. You know, since it's a 'for life' sort."

"Okay, but Angel's been mean to Spike before, so why now?" I waved my hand and Fred shrugged.

"I can't say for sure, but things seemed....more tense than usual between them."

"Wait, where's Spike now?" I asked and Fred's face fell. "Fred, where is he?"

"He's in surgery right now. But-but he'll be fine! We have-"

"What?!" I snarled, getting to my feet as I felt like my skin was getting hotter.

"Aud, it's okay! He's-he's gonna be fine, I promise!" Fred stood up while raising her hands. "Look, he should be out any minute now! Aud, just-just calm down, okay?"

"Fred," I grabbed her shoulders, being conscious to not be rough with her. " _where_ is he?"

~

"Aud, there you are." Andrew nodded to me but I walked right past him, heading to the medical floor of Wolfram & Hart. "Aud, wait! I-I need to talk to you."

"Make it quick, tiny man, I'm not in the mood." I stopped and looked over my shoulder at the human. He cleared his throat, shifting on his feet before speaking.

"After Spike's released....do you.... Are you coming home?" I felt my gaze soften and I fully turned to face Andrew. "This place....it's not good. You shouldn't be here." He glanced around the hallway and I sighed.

"Andrew, you don't have to worry. Spike and I aren't a part of Wolfram & Hart- never will be. But....no, I won't be going back. Not yet."

"Then....when? Everyone's worried sick. I mean, Giles got your letter, but still...."

"Job's not done. Something's happening here and my part has yet to be played to the end." Andrew looked at me, nodding at my answer before speaking again.

"We'll be waiting." And he turned, leaving in a rather dramatic way by flipping his coat. Sighing through my nose, I turned and continued to where I had been headed before.

"The lass thought I killed her family. And I'm supposed to, what, complain 'cause hers wasn't one of the hundreds of families I did kill?" I heard Spike softly say as I neared the open door. "I'm not saying you're right. 'Cause, uh, I'm physically incapable of saying that. But, uh, for a demon I never did think that much about the nature of evil. No. I just threw myself in. Thought it was a party. I liked the rush. I liked the crunch. Never did look back at the victims."

"I couldn't take my eyes off them." It was Angel that was speaking now, and I remained where I was just outside the door, quietly listening. "I was only in it for the evil. That was everything to me. It was art....the destruction of a human being. Jeez, I would've considered Dana a masterpiece.

"What happens to her.?"

"I don't know. Um, Andrew and the Slayers took her. Didn't trust us to help her."

"Andrew double-crossed us? That's a good move." Spike scoffed. "Hope for the little ponce yet. Though, the tingling in my forearms tells me she's too far gone to help. ....She's one of us now. She's a monster."

"She's an innocent victim."

"So were we....once upon a time."

"Once upon a time."


	104. When you're singled out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: Mature content ahead, proceed at own risk*

"Made the biggest mistake of your life and I'm gonna make you pay."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really."

"Bring it, old man."

"Feel my wrath!"

"The only thing I'll be feeling is victory." I popped off and not even a second later the screen declared Spike's defeat.

"Bloody Hell. Rematch." I chuckled while pulling my legs up onto the couch, sitting criss-cross while holding the X-box controller in my hand. Spike was still in recovery from getting his hands chopped off and playing video games was pretty much his physical therapy as it required him to use eye-hand coordination and practice the movement of his fingers.

"You should really learn to knock, not everyone quite likes you here." I popped off, not even looked away from the screen as I knew Doyle was standing in the doorway.

"Come on, is that any way to talk to your benefactor?" The human strut over and plopped down on the couch between the vampire and I. "Just a little concerned about you. You haven't been out in the field lately." He turned to Spike just as I won another round.

"In case you haven't been keepin' up with the sports pages, I got my bloody hands hacked off by that deranged Slayer _you_ sent us after."

"Yeah. Sorry about that. But, hey, good ol' buddies at Wolfram & Hart managed to reattach 'em just fine, huh? You sit around here and play video games."

"Rehab, mate." Spike replied and I got up to go get a drink. Stepping over the controller cords, I walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge. "Workin' out the digits. You got no idea how rotten this feels."

"Oh, amazingly enough, I do. Yeah. Got my hand cut off a few years back. Line of duty. So believe me when I tell you, I can feel your pain."

"Half of it anyway." I popped off while pouring myself a glass of juice.

"Don't forget you've both got a job to do. The Powers That Be are countin' on their champion. So are all the other helpless people-"

"Don't need a pep-talk, Doyle. I already plan on goin' out. You just get one of your visions and tell me when and where."

"Someone's antsy to get out."

"That's what I like to hear." The human grinned and his phone rang, making him get up and step out to answer it.

"Come on. You stupid game! Bloody pathetic." Spike tossed down the controller as I was walking back, and I saw that he lost even in a match by himself.

"No need to be moody. Just accept the fact that you suck at video games." I popped off and the blond shot me a look.

"I'll show you who sucks at video games. Pick up that controller, short stack." Spike gestured to the second player controller and picked his up off the floor. Chuckling, I set my cup down on the end table and sat back down.

"Put your coat and shoes on, kiddies. Got a job to do." Doyle smiled as he stepped back into the apartment.

"Guess you'll just have to show me later."

~

Peeking around the corner, I checked to make sure the coast was clear before turning back to Spike.

"Okay, remember, just a test. If she's it we take her out."

"Are you sure about this, pet?"

"I'm positive. Something didn't add up. Oh, go! Hurry!" I waved my hand and the vampire rounded the corner, heading towards the woman near the end.

"Spike. Well, well, heard you weren't evil anymore, which kinda makes the hair silly." I heard a woman say and Spike vamped out, making her back away. "Uh, or nice." She looked frightened before screaming as the bleached blond pinned her to the wall and bit her neck. It only took a second, but as he was pulling back Angel came out of nowhere and tackled him.

"Oh, shit!" I hissed and hurried down the hall as the two hit each other until Spike had Angel in a headlock.

"You took me on and lost, remember, old man?"

"Yeah. Touch Cordelia again-" The brunette grabbed the back of the blond's legs and flipped him. "get ready for our very last rematch." Growling, I just Sparta kicked Angel and sent him to the ground as he groaned.

"Damn it....Aud...."

"She's evil, you gormless tit!" Spike raised his voice and the woman holding her neck furrowed her brows.

"Excuse me! Who bit whom?"

"Did you call me a tit?" Angel sat up, giving Spike a look.

"I thought he had a soul."

"I thought she didn't."

"I do!"

"So do I."

"Well, clearly, mine's better."

"Look-"

"I see fangs, I'm gonna play dentist." Angel popped off while standing up and straightening his clothes.

"Try it, I fuckin dare you." I growled, giving a warning to the brunette male.

"And you call this guy the big hero?" The woman waved her hand.

"You called me a hero?"

"I didn't know you were eating people."

"It was a taste test, you git. Needed to know if what my source said was true- Aud had doubts. And actually, well, you don't taste evil. Demons are more astringent, with a sort of oaky-"

"What source?"

"We got a guy. Has an in with the Powers That Whatsit. Gets his visions."

"Visions?"

"Yeah. Said Cordelia was taken over by some big bad. Came to destroy you all." Spike pointed and the woman shook her head.

"His vision's a rerun."

"The thing that possess Cordy's long dead, Spike."

"Well, looks like tattoo boy was wrong this time."

"I told you." I popped off, putting my hands onto my hips before turning to the woman. "Sorry about that, had to be sure. Couldn't risk it, you know?"

"Excuse me, and who are you, exactly?"

"Oh, right. Aud Giles." I held my hand out to her and she hesitated but shook it.

"Cordelia Chase. I'm sorry, did you say 'Giles'?"

"Aud's....she's Rupert's adoptive daughter." Angel gestured to me and Cordelia's eyes widened a fraction. "A half-demon, too."

"Right. So, Giles has a daughter that's a half-demon and she works with Spike. You didn't think to mention this before?"

"More than works with, we're married."

"Will you stop telling everyone we're married!" I shot the bleached blond a look and he put his hands on his hips, returning the look.

"Will you stop tellin' everyone we're not?"

"Wait, wait, hold on- _What_?" Cordelia raised her hands, looking rather perplexed. "You're telling me Giles has a daughter- who is also part demon- and said daughter is here and _with_ Spike?"

"Basically, yeah." I nodded and she rubbed her forehead.

"My goodness. Wait- tattoos? What kind of tattoos?" Cordelia turned to look at the blond.

"I don't know. Symbols, tribal-like." Spike shrugged his shoulders while rolling his eyes.

"This guy with the visions," Angel shifted on his feet as his brows furrowed. "did he have a name?"

"Called himself Doyle." Both Cordelia and Angel's faces fell and the woman's scent changed so drastically with various emotions all at once.

~

"We've got a problem, Eve."

"Damn right you do. When I tell the partners you assaulted me-"

"Couple weeks ago, a man approached Spike, told him that the Powers That Be have some missions for him." Angel began to pace around Eve's chair. "Spike, brain trust that he is, went along with it."

"Hey."

"He's the one who told Spike and Aud to save me from the parasite- the parasite _you_ put on _me_ in the first place."

"Oh, not this again." Eve rolled her eyes and went to stand, but Cordelia stepped forward and verbally stopped her.

"Get out of that chair and I will feed you those Manolo Blahniks- which are stunning, by the way." And Eve sat back down.

"Seems to me like you and this guy are workin' together."

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about. But you-you can't keep me here, I have to leave."

"But the thing that _really_ , really pisses me off is that this guy seems to be going by the name of Doyle."

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"It does to me. It rings a big frickin' gong, and I want to know who has the nerve to be using that name." Cordelia pointed while getting rather close to Eve's face.

"I'm gonna give you one chance to tell me where he is." Angel had a threatening tone, but Eve wasn't bothered by it in the slightest.

"Look, I don't know what you want me to say- I don't know anything." The brunette shook her head and I calmly walked over to her seat.

"Eve," I waved Angel back before placing my hands onto the armrests on either side of the human woman. "you're pretty good at lying, you know that?" Tilting my head, I locked eyes with her, licking my lips and grinning. "Well, on the outside, anyway. I can hear your heart changing rythym with every lie you give, and you _reek_ of unease." Leaning in closer, I placed a hand onto the back of her seat by her head while feeling my eyes change. "So, tell me, Eve....why are you so nervous? What are you hiding?"

"Excuse me, boss?"

"Not now, Harmony." Angel replied to the blonde that walked in.

"Okay, but do I get the afternoon off, too?" She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb.

"What are you talking about?"

"Everybody's gone. Whole building cleared out a few minutes ago." Harmony looked at us like we were stupid.

"What's goin' on, Eve?" She didn't answer and Gunn got to his feet and hurried out before coming back only a few minutes later.

"I checked the server. Message went out, Code 7, right before the building emptied."

"What's Code 7, Eve?"

"I don't know. Seriously." She shook her head and I sighed before grabbing her jaw and forcing her to look at me.

"Try that again, but with the truth this time." Fear laced her scent as my claws gradually sharpened and dug into her skin.

"I don't know! I really don't!" Her voice was urgent, but he was still lying.

"Are you daft? You really think you can lie to Aud?" Spike popped off before scoffing and waving his hand. "Only way you could even hope to do that is if you lacked a pulse."

"Look, I-"

"The next words out of your mouth better be the truth or so help me I will play ping-pong with your eyeballs." Baring my fangs, I raised my other hand, my claws only centimeters from her wide eyes and I was nearly suffocating on her fear.

"Okay, okay! Stop! It's a fail-safe. They built a fail-safe."

"For what?" My fingers twitched closer to her eye and she was leaning back as far as she could with my other hand still on her chin.

"Look. The senior partners were never certain they could keep you under their thumb so they created a fail-safe, housed in the sublevels of the building."

"What kind of fail-safe?" Fred questioned and Eve didn't even look at her while answering.

"I don't know what it is exactly, but it's huge and alive and specifically designed to destroy Angel."

"How can I stop it?" The brunette vampire asked.

"Only way to shut it down is in the chamber itself."

"Well, if that's true then who activated it in the first place?"

"You were with us when the building cleared out." Gunn added.

"Had to be someone else- someone with the ability to slip past Wolfram and Hart's security systems." Wesley glanced around the room before Lorne spoke up.

"Like our magically tattooed faux Doyle."

"Spike, I don't want to go in blind. Anything else you know about this guy?" Angel turned to the bleached blond and I leaned back from Eve while letting her go. She rubbed her jaw while dropping her gaze.

"Not much. Uh, average size. Dresses like an urban cowboy. Got his hand chopped off once." Spike was looking up while thinking, giving any detail he could off the top of his head.

"His hand?" Cordelia asked and I noticed the shift in the room.

"He's back."

"Lindsey."

"Who?" Fred slightly furrowed her brows and I was just as lost as she was.

"Lock the building down. Make sure he can't get out. Don't trust security systems, he won't show up because of those tattoos of his." Angel stated and Gunn nodded as he left the office.

"There could be a way to fix that." Wesley stepped forward. "I'll need some help."

"Well, my dance card's free." Lorne shrugged and I glanced to Wesley.

"You gonna need me?" The ex-Watcher paused for a second before nodding.

"We'll be doing magic."

"Don't die." I pointed at Spike before following Wesley out and the blond rolled his eyes.

~

"Woodbury lichen." Wesley listed off and Fred glanced up with a smile.

"Check."

"Where's our danbeetle skeleton?"

"Already in the bowl." I stated while Lorne was pacing and Gunn handed Fred some dried herb.

"Man, I should be down there. Got enough Betty Crockers. I should be throwin' some hurt." The man sighed and Wesley read out the next step.

" _'Sprinkle ingredients with the arterial blood of an unclean.'_ A demon." Wesley lowered the scroll while looking right at Lorne as the green man was burning incense.

"We're unclean." He scoffed. "Like you're so April fre-.... You sure that thing said, uh, 'arterial blood'?" Lorne became uneasy when he noticed the humans looking right at him.

"Sorry."

"Why don't they ever need the urine of an unclean? I've got plenty of unclean urine." He nervously chuckled until Gunn pulled out a gleaming knife.

"Don't worry, Lorne. I got this." Getting to my feet, I stood in front of Gunn. "Hope you're not squeamish."

"You sure it'll work with you being a half demon?"

"I still have demon blood and it's rather potent, all things considered."

"The properties of Aud's blood should combat her human side seeing as this _is_ magic." Wesley shifted on his feet and Gunn rolled his shoulders.

"All right, then. Wanna lean over the bowl?" He pointed with the knife and I got on my knees as Gunn stood at my side. I waited until Wesley began to chant in Latin before bending over as Gunn pressed the knife to my throat. My lip twitched up into a snarl from pain as he cut me, and my blood gushed out over the ingredients in the bowl.

The room lit with an unearthly red glow as Wesley kept his voice steady. I could feel eyes on me and glanced up to see the ex-Watcher looking at me with a strange expression.

"I think I can feel it working...."

~

"It's really been a pleasure. Let's never keep in touch." Cordelia popped off as Eve turned from stepping into the elevator.

"It's a new game, Eve. If I were you, I'd start thinkin' strategy."

"And here I am thinking revenge." Eve crossed her arms.

"And what do you imagine the senior partners are thinking?" Angel asked and the brunette woman uneasily shifted before the elevator doors closed.

"Well, uh, I'm thinkin' Sea Breeze, compadres." Lorne clapped his hands together.

"Well, I've been prancin' around thinkin' I had a destiny. I'd love to drown my embarrassment in a few pints." Spike had his hands on his hips and Fred lit up.

"Oh! We should all go get a drink. We haven't done that in....ever."

"I'm in. Cat and Fiddle?" Gunn asked while pressing the elevator button.

"Yeah. Unless, of course, you're busy packing." Wesley glanced to Angel and the brunette seemed to be thinking.

"Uh, a drink sounds good. I'll go get my coat." He smiled and Cordelia was grinning. The elevator doors opened and we all filed in.

"Uh, you guys go ahead. We'll catch up. Oh, and, uh, Wesley? You still work the best mojo in town." She smiled.

"Aud bleeds from the neck and he gets the props?" Lorne popped off and I chuckled.

"You better catch up, it was nice meeting you." I smiled at the woman and she nodded with a grin.

"Yeah, I've got to hear all about this secret Giles child." Cordelia waved as the elevator doors closed.

~

Rinsing off a plate, I set it into the drying rack before reaching back into the sink to rinse off more dishes. My tail twitched just before I felt hands snaking over my hips and cool lips on the back of my neck.

"What, get bored losing?" I questioned, not even bothering to pause what I was doing as dishes clinked together.

"Just not in the mood for video games at the moment." Spike said lowly and his hands gripped my thighs, massaging them as his fingers traveled upward. I set down another plate into the rack as my chest was already rumbling with a purr. "I'm thinkin' of doin' a different kind of physical therapy." He nipped at the back of my neck and my tail unconsciously wrapped around his leg.

"Oh? What did you have in mind?" I felt a smirk play onto my lips as I leaned back into the blond, my hands going behind his head as he looked down at me. Spike bit his bottom lip, his eyes taking in the view while his thumbs hooked on the waistband of my boyshorts.

"There's a few things I was thinkin' about."

"Mm-hm?" Running my fingers through his hair, I didn't stop him as he pushed my underwear down.

"All good things." His voice dropped and his left hand found my clit, causing my body to jolt from the sudden, cool touch. Spike kissed along my jaw, circling my clit with two fingers as my hands fisted in his hair and grabbed his shirt collar.

Moaning, my pelvis ground into his, feeling his growing erection against my ass as he added pressure to his touch. Spike's other hand drug his nails up my thigh, leaving pink lines on my skin that disappeared shortly after. His chest vibrated against my back with a low growl, his teeth scraping over the side of my neck.

" _Very_ good things apparently." I purred before Spike's free hand traveled up my shirt and squeezed my breast. I moaned again as he pinched my nipple while sliding a finger to my entrance. "Fuck~." I took in a sharp breath and spread my legs to allow the blond better access.

"Feels good, doesn't it, pet?" Spike said lowly into my ear before nipping it.

"Fuck, yes." Moaning, two of his fingers began to thrust in and out of my core as my pelvis ground into his palm. I felt my teeth sharpen, and Spike flipped up my shirt over my chest so that he could see my breasts as he went back to groping and teasing. His lips trailed down my neck while leaving love-bites and short-lived hickies in their wake.


	105. The red

Spike was tackled through the double doors, breaking right through them as I was physically on the ground laughing. I could hear the bleached blond cackling while Angel was grunting and wrestling with him.

"You're a wee little puppet man!" Spike laughed even after Angel punched him and I was holding my ribs as they ached, seeing the two vampires on the floor. "Ow! Hey, that's enough." Spike threw Angel off of him and the puppet vampire landed on his feet as the blond rolled over. "Angel, what the Hell happened to you? You look ridiculous." Spike smiled while getting to his feet.

"Get out of here, Spike."

"Oh, my god! Angel, you're a-"

"Shut up!" Angel cut Harmony off while pointing at her. "What are you people looking at?" No one said anything and I was finally back on my feet, trying to catch my breath. "Well?"

"They're lookin' at the wee little puppet man." Spike popped off and Angel launched himself at the blond. "Whoa! Whoa!" He shouted as Angel bit down on his arm and was hanging on like a chihuahua and I went down again while holding my ribs.

Spike stumbled back while trying to get Angel off of his arm, but the little bugger just wasn't coming off and they fell into an elevator. The doors closed, but everyone could hear them fighting and Angel yelling.

"Stupid, limey, piece of crap!" When the doors opened again, Angel stepped out while fixing his hair, stopping when he noticed all eyes on him. "Yes, I'm a puppet. It doesn't mean you don't have work to do." He waved a finger before shoving his hands into his coat pockets while stomping back to his office with his head down. "Harmony, get my call list."

"Aww, look at the little pouty puppet." Angel stopped and stared at me with a 'go-to-Hell' look and I ignored it while swiftly picking him up. "You're like a walking chew-toy!"

"....And get Spike a car." He nearly growled as I held him up. "Aud, put me down. _Now_."

~

~

"Fuss, fuss. The thing was about to strike. It was on your back. What was I supposed to do?" Spike questioned as we walked towards the flickering, burning nest.

"Ask me to turn around." Angel grunted with pain, a sword going straight through his chest to his back were a demon was also impaled.

"Heat of battle. Wasn't time."

"You just like stabbing me."

"I-I'm shocked!" Spike threw up his hands. " _Shocked_ that you'd say that. I much prefer hitting you with blunt instruments."

"You know, we only asked you along because we felt sorry for you."

"If it weren't for me, you'd be bug food, so stop whinging."

"Angel." Fred stepped towards the brunette after the blond stormed off and I sighed through my nose as the fire on my scalp flickered out.

"I'll be all right, Fred."

"No, I just want the bug. It's in pretty good shape, and I'd like to take it back to the lab. Always like a new specimen."

"Oh, lemme help you." I grabbed the hilt of the sword sticking out of Angel and put my foot to his chest before he could stop me.

"Wait, wai- Ah!" The brunette cringed as I pulled out the long blade and the bug thudded to the floor.

"Welp, it was fun burning shit with you guys again." I smiled as Fred and Wesley, resting the sword on my shoulder before walking out the way Spike had gone. "Call if you need me!"

~

"Wesley! Want a Swiss Roll?" I offered the man a snack cake while walking beside him since he seemed to be going the same way I was.

"Aud....did you steal those from the staff?"

"Are you trying to make me incriminate myself?" I questioned and the man just chuckled before pausing when he heard Angel and Spike yelling at each other in Angel's office.

"Sorry. Is this something we should all be discussing?" Wesley asked as I stood next to him and popped a Twinkie into my mouth.

"No." Angel took a step back from Spike, putting his hands onto his hips while also looking away.

"It just....sounds a little serious." The human was honestly concerned and the brunette vampire took a seat on the edge of the long table.

"It was mostly.... _theoretical_. We-"

"We were just working out a- Look." Spike turned towards us and raised his hand. "If cavemen and astronauts got into a fight, who would win?" The blond questioned, crossing his arms while pursing his lips.

"....Huh. You've been yelling at each other for 40 minutes about this." Wesley furrowed his brows but only Angel looked away with shame. "Do the astronauts have weapons?" He crossed his arms and the vampires spoke at the same time.

"No."

"Then is that even a question that really needs argued?" I made a face after swallowing the sweet junk food and Spike shifted on his feet.

"What do you mean?"

"I think it's clear what she means." Wesley raised his eyebrows and I nodded.

"Cavemen would kick the astronauts' asses." I stated and Spike lit up while pointing.

"Ha! What did I tell ya?"

"But-"

"Angel, did you really think astronauts would win?" I scoffed and his face said it all. "That's like asking who would win in a fight between a you and me."

"Oh, come on." Angel rolled his eyes before looking back at me. "You've only ever hit me by surprise, who knows who would win in a fair fight-"

"Aud." Both Wesley and Spike said at the same time.

"Wha-"

"She's incredibly strong."

"Not to mention very hard to kill."

"And the fact that I was trained to kill nearly my entire life."

"Okay, but you can't compare you and I to astronauts and cavemen, it's not the-"

"Primal, savage, brutal animal instinct." Spike pointed at me before waving his finger at Angel. "Namby-pamby, self-analyzing wanker."

"Spontaneously combusts as a means of combat." Wesley added while gesturing to me. "Spontaneously combusts and dies." He then looked to Angel and the brunette crossed his arms while pouting.

~

"It's my boys." Fred weakly smiled from the hospital bed. "Haven't had this many big strapping men at my bedside since that night with the varsity lacrosse team." She chuckled when no one said anything. "That was a joke.

"You sure gave us all a big scare, Freddles." Lorne told her, sitting on the end of her bed as the rest of us stood around the room.

"Yeah, you just need to rest. Lab's doing some blood work." Angel nodded, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"I'm a mummy, aren't I?"

"I've fought plenty of mummies, and none of them were as pretty as you. Almost none." Spike stated and Fred smiled.

"Now y'all are being too comforting." Her smile fell as she looked up. "What's really up?"

"You're sick, and you're making it worse by worrying." Gunn raised his brows at the woman before Knox spoke up.

"We got that sarcophagus under the scope. If it gave you anything, we'll isolate it in a few hours."

"So you don't know what it is?"

"Yet."

"Okay."

"We're going to work this." Angel nodded. "Shouldn't take long."

"Handsome man saves me."

"That's how it works. Let's get crackin'." Angel turned for the door and my tail twitched. Gently placing my hand on her shoulder, I didn't hide my serious expression with a smile.

"If you need me, I'll be here in the blink of an eye."

"Thank you, Aud." She weakly chuckled and I turned my gaze to Wesley. Nodding to him, I quietly left the room to give them some privacy.

~

"How's she handling it?" Angel questioned Wesley.

"She's smarter than all of us put together. She knows it's bad."

"How bad? What do we know?"

"Whatever she's got, it doesn't match up with any of the pathogens in our archives. It's mystical, and it's not ours." Knox explained.

"What about the sarcophagus?"

"My team is cross-checking the symbols, but it's also new territory for us." Wesley stated.

"Angel, what exactly is happening to her? You talked to the doctor." Gunn looked to the brunette vampire and he turned.

"They have something?"

"Yeah, I, uh- Some parasitic agent is working its way through- I mean, as near as they can tell-"

"What is it?" I growled and Angel's face said exactly how bad it was as he put his hands onto his hips.

"Her organs are cooking. In days time, they'll liquefy." And I felt a lump in my throat.

"No." Spike said firmly. "Not this girl. Not this day."

"Look, Wes, you've got to tell me what was in that box. I need a name, a history, anything."

"We can't get it open."

"Not even the lasers." Knox added.

"Where did it come from?" Wesley questioned the scientist and Knox shook his head.

"It just showed up. No return address. Didn't recognize the guy who brought it in- come to think of it- in the middle of the night."

"This was deliberate."

"Senior partners?" Lorne asked.

"It doesn't add up, but I'll hit the White Room, talk to the conduit."

"All right, look. If the senior partners didn't do this, you gotta get them to help us."

"Any way I can." Gunn nodded.

"What about Doyle? Uh, Lindsey." Spike furrowed his brows. "The man likes to play his games."

"I was looking to work the streets, and we've got his address. For all we know, he's probably sitting there, laughing. If there's muscle work to do-"

"Let's make it twice as fast."

"And baby makes three, in case anybody feels like singing." Lorne added.

"You're a fool if you think I'm just going to sit by as this happens. You need a head ripped off? I'm there." My lip twitched up in a snarl and Angel gave a sharp nod in my direction.

"Good. Guys...."

"You don't have to say it."

"I'll say it anyway. Winifred Burkle. Go." And we scattered to get to work.

~

"No sign of Lindsey." Spike stated.

"Look for plans." Angel replied and my nose twitched before I went to a pair of double doors and just kicked them in. There was a pause after the loud crash, and I began to growl deep in my chest. "Well, I'll be damned all over again."

"Don't touch me!" Eve scrambled further up the bad as I stepped forward.

"Hiding out from the senior partners, Eve? How many sick days do you get before they dock you?"

"What do you want?"

"Fred's dying. Some mystical parasite. Ring a bell?"

"No, I don't know what you're talking about."

"What about your boyfriend, love? He got some wacky scheme brewing? Sending coffins about?" Spike questioned and my tail was flicking with irritation.

"Stay away from me." Eve looked and smelled frightened as she was curled up in the bed sheets, but I didn't give a damn while grabbing her ankle and dragging her to the end of the bed before pinning her down by her throat. She started to kick and scream, but I silenced her by tightening my grip and holding her legs down with my knees.

"Listen here, bitch." I growled as she was coughing and digging her nails into my wrist. "This can go very easily or very, very painfully- but I warn you, Watcher's Council taught me hundreds of forms of torture and then some."

"So, sarcophagus. Older than anything we know." Spike said and I slightly loosened my hand to let her take in a gasp of air to speak.

"L-Lindsey and I had nothing to do with that. I'm not lying! I'm-I'm not!" My tail twitched as I determined she was actually telling the truth. "Have....have you heard from him? About him?"

"Oh, this is truly poetical."

"You're not saying what we need to hear."

"Why would I do anything to Fred? Why would we even care about-" I choked her again as my hair burst into flames.

"Don't you even fucking say her name. Now, since none of us has the time to waste asking you questions and seeing if you're lying or not.... Lorne, would you like a turn?"

"With pleasure. All right, Eve, here's the thing. You're going to sing for me, and I'm going to read you right now." The demon came up to my side to look down at the human. "And here's one more thing. Winifred Burkle once told me after a sinful amount of Chinese food, and in lieu of absolutely nothing, 'I think a lot of people would choose to be green. Your shade, if they had the choice.' If I hear one note, one _quarter_ note that tells me you had any involvement, these three won't even have time to kill you." Lorne smiled. "Oh, and anything by Diane Warren will also result in your death. Well, except _Rythym of the Night_."

"I want to help. I swear to you. I've got nothing against Fre-" I cut her off with a growl and I felt her swallow beneath my palm. "Against her."

"Say it with a song in your heart." Angel popped off. I took my hand off of her throat but kept her down by her shoulders. Eve swallowed again and began to sing.

" _~Pretty as a picture....she is like a golden ring~_ "

"She's clean."

"You've been wrong before."

"Yeah, and I might be now. But she reads clean. Her future's not too bright, though." Lorne added.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, nothing's written in stone lately but, uh, if I was about to face your future I'd make like Carmen Miranda and die." My braid dropped back down as the fire went out and I got off of Eve to follow the others out.

"Wait. Please. Are you going to tell the senior partners where I am?"

"Hell of a bargaining chip."

"No, they can't help you. I mean it." Eve nervously played with the sleeves of her button-up. "If you're talking about a sarcophagus that doesn't match anything in our records- There's nothing that's not in our records. Except what came before- the Old Ones."

"The original demons. Before humankind." Angel stated. "They were all driven out of this dimension."

"The ones that were still alive. But long before that, they were killing each other all the time and-and they don't die the way that we do." Eve explained as the bruises on her throat were darkening already. "Wesley may not know it, but his source books can conjure up anything. And not just our own stock. Tell him to look for the texts that are forgotten. The oldest scrolls. You need to find the Deeper Well."

~

"It's called Illyria, a great monarch and warrior of the Demon Age murdered by rivals and left adrift in the Deeper Well." Wesley stated as we stood in his office.

"Which is what?"

"A burial ground. A resting place of all the remaining Old Ones."

"This one ain't resting."

"No. I don't think this is merely an infection. Fred's skin is hardening like a shell. I think she's being hollowed out so this thing can use her to gestate, to claw its way back into this world. ....That's speculation. Either way she dies."

"Do we have any chance of finding this Deeper Well?"

"I already have." Wesley grabbed a paper from his desk and handed it to Angel. "It's in England, in the Cotswolds. That's the location to the inch."

"Lorne, tell Harmony to prep the jet. We can be there in 10 hours."

"You can be there in four. We have really good jets." Knox piped up.

"It will have a guardian, maybe several."

"Let 'em send an army." Spike raised his chin, being utterly serious.

"How do we know going there is gonna do squat?" Gunn asked.

"The Deeper Well is almost like a prison for the dead. If something gets out, it's written it can be drawn back from the source." Wesley gestured and Angel looked up from the paper.

"That's our shot."

"We'll keep working here, but yes, I think it is."

"If nobody thinks it's too ridiculous, I'm going to pray." Lorne said softly with a gentle nod.

"No, it's appreciated. Time is not on our side."

"Nobody's on our side."

"Come on. Let's save the day." Angel looked to Spike and I and I gave a sharp nod before turning to leave Wesley's office.

~

"I've never flown before." Spike was uncomfortably shifting in his seat before crossing his arms.

"I've been in a helicopter. They don't....go this high." Angel sounded uneasy after glancing out of the window to his left.

"Back to the mother country. Hey, after we save Fred, we should hit the West End. Take in a show."

"I've never seen Les Mis."

"Trust me." Spike scoffed. "Halfway through the first act, you'll be drinking humans again."

"....Can't lose her, Spike."

"You won't."

"I lost Cordy." Angel stated and the two of them went quiet again, and in the silence I could hear everything on the plain and the wind rushing by outside. My leg began to bounce as I rested my chin in my hand, eyes glued to the window as I could do nothing but wait until we landed.

~

It was dark now as we walked past the gnarled and twisted trees, a fog settling on the ground as we searched for the Deeper Well.

"When is a door not a door? When it's not soddin' well there." Spike popped off.

"Right there." Angel stopped, staring straight ahead at a misshapen tree that did in fact look like a doorway. "You wanna bet that's the entrance to the Deeper Well?"

"Either that or Christmas Land." There was a pause and the two vampires looked at each other. "Do you ever have _any_ fun?" Suddenly there was a crack of lightening and demented warriors began to funnel out of the tree.

"I'm about to."

"And they even brought us weapons. Strategy?"

"Just hold my hand." Angel told him and I kicked off my shoes and socks as they held hands.

"Saint Petersburg." Spike smiled.

"Thought you had forgotten." Angel grinned and they suddenly pulled their hands apart, stretching a wire taut to cut off the heads of the first two warriors.

"That was cute guys." I popped off before walking between them. My hair burst into flames as I completely let go of my human form. Rolling my shoulders and flexing my claws, I launched myself to the nearest demon. My hand went right through them, covering the blackened skin of my arm in blood and chunks of guts.

Spinning on my heel, my tail wrapped around the next one's head, breaking his neck and twisting it off like a bottle cap. A broadsword was swung down at me from the right, but it never landed as my paw broke their jaw clean off. I wasn't holding back on these bastards if they were standing between me and Fred's salvation.

Parting my jaws, I lit a group of four on fire before continuing on, leaving a trail of bodies as I went towards the tree. Another flash of lightening and another wave of warriors came out with their swords ready. Running my tongue over my teeth, my tail swayed and I was ready.

Wave after wave I burned and broke and tore demons apart from the center while Spike and Angel cut them down from the sides with swords they had taken from the dead.

"Is that all? We haven't even started." Angel yelled.

"I'd say that's enough." A normal looking man stepped out, but he didn't really smell human.

"Drogyn." Angel panted, and I paused where I was seeing as the two apparently knew each other.

"Angel."

"You're the keeper of the well."

"Have been for decades."

"Well, who in the bloody-"

"Do not ask me a question! If you ever ask me a single question, I will kill you outright. Don't think for a moment that I can't."

"He can. He would." Angel mumbled over his shoulder to Spike.

"Eh?"

"I'd like to see him fucking try." I growled, stepping close to the stranger while baring my teeth. The man looked down at me as I was covered in demon blood.

"....You're here about Illyria."

"Yes."

"Walk in."

"But how-"

"What did I just say to you not a moment ago? _Don't_....ask."

"Seriously, he doesn't like questions." Angel popped off as Drogyn went into the Deeper Well.

"Why the bloody Hell not?"

"He can't lie." The brunette state and I shifted my weight on my feet while putting my hands onto my hips.

"Then he better chill the fuck out before I ask so many questions his head explodes."

"Just come on." Angel sighed and we entered the Deeper Well where Drogyn was waiting with a lit torch.

"I would never have thought you'd end up here, Angel."

"I could say the same."

"So you two know each other. That was a statement." Spike quickly added when the man shot him a look. "I already know that you do."

"I'll tell you as much as I can. The Old Ones were demons pure. They warred as we would breathe, endlessly. The greater ones were interred, for death was not always their end. Illyria was feared and beloved, as few are. It was lain to rest in the very depths of the well. Until it disappeared a month ago."

"Someone took it from under your nose a month ago, and you didn't miss it till now? That makes you quite the crap jailer, doesn't it? _Also_ a statement."

"Your friend likes to talk."

"So much, he's even right sometimes. The man I remember couldn't be stolen from so easily."

"The tomb was not stolen. It disappeared. I believe it was predestined to as part of Illyria's escape plan. And as for my not noticing.... Well, my charges are not few." Drogyn put out the torch and stepped out onto a bridge in a cavern lit from below. Looking down, the walls were filled with tombs going down as far as I could see.

"Bloody Hell." Spike leaned on the edge of the bridge. "How far does this go down?"

"All the way. All the way through the Earth."

"So, the coffin disappeared, teleported, but it was brought to us." Angel turned to face the man.

"Illyria was a great power. So great, that after millions of years dead _somewhere_ on this Earth it still has acolytes."

"Well, fuck." I sighed.

"It's been freed, the demon's essence."

"Yeah, it's been freed. Why do you think we're here?" Spike asked and Drogyn made a face. "And what's your favorite color? What's your favorite song? Who's the goalkeeper for Manchester United? How many fingers am I holding up? You wanna kill me? Try." The bleached blond had a tone as he challenged the man. "I don't have time for your quirks."

"The power to draw back Illyria is in there." He pointed to the other side of the bridge. "It requires a champion who has traveled from where it lies to where it belongs."

"You got three of those right here."

"But I didn't know it was free." Drogyn dropped his head and sighed. "If we bring the sarcophagus back to the well, it will draw Illyria out of your friend and into every single person between here and there. It will become the mystical equivalent of airborne. It will claw into every soul in its path to keep from being trapped entire. Tens, maybe hundreds of thousands....will die in agony....if you save her."

"No." Angel looked over the bridge and I had to close my eyes while clenching my jaw.

"That's madness."

"This is a place of madness. I'll prepare the spell. Your choice." Drogyn crossed the bridge and I leaned back on the bridge rails.

"To Hell with the world." Angel went to cross the bridge but stopped himself when neither of us said a word or even moved to try and stop him. This....this wasn't easy. It was either Fred or countless strangers. The decision should be simple- the greater good and all- but....

This was Fred. Winifred Burkle. A person couldn't sum up who she was with words alone, she was too bright, too grand. She tried, she fought, she struggled, she smiled, she laughed, she loved. And now....now some ancient fuck was turning her into a cocoon for itself.

"Spike."

"This goes all the way through....to the other side. So, I figure, there's a bloke somewhere around....in New Zealand standing on a bridge like this one looking back down at us. All the way down." He spoke softly. "There's a hole in the world. Feels like we ought to have known."


	106. Well it filters through

"Can't even get drunk." Spike picked up another small bottle of whiskey. "Why would anyone ever make a bottle this small? It's inhuman." Angel was still silent and unmoving in his seat, that look of deep thought and sorrow on his face. "Thousands would have died if we'd saved her."

"....Yeah." Angel responded barely over a whisper.

"She wouldn't have wanted that."

"Yeah." The brunette sighed. "Tried calling Wes. There's no answer."

"Guess she's gone then." Spike mumbled and I had to swallow the lump forming in my throat. "It's like a bloody tease. It's, like, here's what a bottle of Jack would look like if you actually had one. Or here's a drink, but it's very far away."

"What does that mean? Really?"

"It's a play on perspective."

"Gone. What-what does it mean, that she's gone?"

"Well, in the world of men, a person dies, they stay that way."

"Unless you're a vampire."

"Or a ghost of one that save the world."

"Or Buffy. Death doesn't have to be the end, not in our world. Rules can be broken. All you have to do is push hard enough."

"Don't get your hopes up too high, Angel." I spoke up for the first time since leaving the Deeper Well. "Some things....just can't be done. We don't know if this is one of them." Getting up, I went back to where Spike was by the table of tiny booze bottles and sat down beside him. Pulling my legs up into the seat, I rested my head onto the blond's shoulder.

He shifted, raising his arm to wrap it around me while I curled up closer to his side. Spike ran his fingers through my hair in a comforting manner as my tail wrapped around my feet and I tried not to cry. His chest rose and fell as he sighed through his nose before I felt his cheek resting on my head.

Fred was gone. Fred.

~

"So that's it? England was a bust?" Gunn questioned.

"Not entirely. We found out where the sarcophagus came from. There were thousands of 'em." Angel stated while pacing by the windows.

"Minus one."

"What about this Drogyn character? He couldn't help?"

"He couldn't. We were too late."

"I should have seen it." Lorne mumbled. "Nox. He sang for me and I should have seen it."

"It's not your fault."

"If I had concentrated harder, read him better, maybe Fred-"

"There's a lot we might have done starting with never coming to Wolfram and Hart in the first place. We can beat ourselves up over it later, but _right now_ -"

"Sorry, Angelcakes. I-I got nothin'. I'm sorry." Lorne got up while shaking his head before walking away.

"Lorne-"

"No, let him go." Spike told Angel. "If he's doubting himself, he won't be any good to us."

"Lorne's right. We should have seen this coming."

"Wouldn't have made a difference. Drogyn said the sarcophagus was preordained to be released. Nothing could have stopped it from arriving."

"....That's not completely true." Gunn said softly from where he stood with his back to us. "I played a round of Pinata with lav boy while you were gone. The sarcophagus was stuck in Customs and it should have stayed there, but someone got it out."

"Who?" I slammed my hands onto the table while baring my teeth and Gunn jolted from the unexpected action. "Nox have a partner?"

"I'm-I'm working on it."

"Oh. You're working on it. Good for you, Charles. Not a moment to lose." Wesley spoke with this sarcasm.

"Wes. I know you're hurting. Keep your footing. I need you sharp, all of you, for Fred's sake."

"There's no Fred anymore."

"You don't know that."

"I watched it _gut_ her from the inside out. Everything she was is gone. There is nothing left but a shell."

"Then we'll figure out a way to fill it back up."

"The thing only took over her body. Just the tip of the theological." Spike waved his hand.

"It's the soul that matters." Angel added.

"Trust us. We're kind of experts."

"What about her- if her organs have been liquefied?" Gunn asked.

"Flash fried in a pillar of fire, saving the world." The bleached blond raised his hand and shrugged. "I got better."

"You really believe there's a chance of bringing her back?"

"Fred's soul is out there. Somewhere. We'll find it, we'll put it back where it belongs. Then we'll make every son-of-a-bitch that had a hand in this pay." Angel got to his feet but my gaze lowered to the table in front of me.

"I'm only saying this from experience....but what if she's in Heaven? Or a place similar to it?" The room went quiet and I glanced around at them. "Coming back here from that took a long time to recover from."

"We'll help her through it. It wasn't her time yet- she deserves to live her life." Wesley pointed at the ground before turning to Angel. "Where do we start?"

"With the big guns."

"Willow."

"Won't be the first time she rattled the dead. Last time I heard, she was in South America." Spike stated.

"We'll track her down and get her here as soon as we can. In the meantime, we need to contain Illyria. Wes, you're the only one who had contact. Any ideas where she's headed?"

"No."

"Even if we find Illyria, how do you plan on dealing with it?" I questioned. "The Old Ones are pure demons, powerful- they make a Turok Han look like a chihuahua." The guys glanced to each other before looking at me. "What?"

"Aud....you're the strongest one among us. You may not be a pure demon, but you should be just enough to capture Illyria with our help."

~

"Told you guns wouldn't work." I said while hunched over the table.

"Look, it was worth a try before making you go in." Angel huffed while taking a blade off of the wall behind his desk.

"Back in the lab, she was standing right there in front of me but there was no scent, nothing. It was like she wasn't even there." Spike stated, putting his hands onto his hips as I tossed back my head and chugged the contents of the bottle.

"I know."

"Look I want Fred back as much as any of us, but seeing her there like that- Maybe she really is-"

"No." I slammed the bottle down, briefly pausing in scarfing down the food on the table in front of me. "I'm going to get Illyria, and we're all going to get Fred back. A-a soul is a soul. If _I_ can be brought back, _she_ can be brought back."

~

"It's her temple." Wesley stated while setting down the opened book. It was only Angel, Spike, and I that stood by him seeing as Gunn was currently in medical after Wesley had stabbed him when discovering his involvement in the sarcophagus getting into Wolfram and Hart. "This is where she was supposed to be resurrected."

"That's Illyria?"

"In its native form."

"What are these smaller bits?" Spike questioned while pointing at the illustration in the book.

"Her army of doom."

"There's a shock."

"They were entombed with her. Waiting for her return."

"To Los Angeles?"

"This is where her temple was millions of years ago, and it's still here."

"I think I would've remembered seeing something like this parked next to the Ralph's." Angel popped off.

"It's out of phase with our time stream. Only Illyria can open the gateway."

"Any idea how we stop her?"

"I think that's where I come in. I was prepping for a hard capture, but if I have to take Illyria out....so be it."

~

Watching them fight Illyria after Wesley had killed Knox, I was studying the demon's movements to figure if there was a pattern. If I could find a pattern and one up it, it'd make my task not as difficult as it was now. It took everything I had to not just jump out there, but this had to be done.

There was little chance just the three of them could take her, however, I had to obey the plan. They were counting on me.

"Unimpressive." Illyria said after throwing Angel and Spike to opposite sides of the room, tossing down their swords it had taken from them. Taking in a deep breath, I stepped off the ledge I stood on and landed right in front of the demon that looked like Fred. In almost every way it looked like her other than the blue streaks in her hair, the icy blue eyes, and the blue tint to her lips and sections of her skin.

"I guess that means it's my turn." My tail twitched and Illyria's eyes widened a fraction.

"Ardor? You're still alive?" Her head cocked to the side and her brows furrowed. "....No. No, you're not Ardor. You're....wrong."

"I don't know who you're talking about," I tossed off my jacket and forced the fire on my scalp to spread. "but I'm definitely not Ardor." I could feel the heat rising and my nose twitched with the scent of burning fabrics. Illyria's face became serious before I bared my teeth and ran for the demon.

We clashed with me in the offensive position as I didn't give Illyria the chance to stop blocking my attacks. There was no stable rhythm to our movements, it was just fluid and ever changing until Illyria waved a hand.

From the corner of my eye I saw the others going in slow motion and even my own movements were slower. Illyria took the chance and punched me in the gut. I flew back, but my claws digging into the floor tiles stopped me after I had gone a few feet. Growling, I could feel my muscles straining to keep my speed up to keep in time with Illyria.

"I see you are very similar to Ardor, but you reek of humanity. A dirty half-breed."

"Yeah, well, this dirty half-breed is about to kick your ass." Slamming my hands onto the floor, fire spread across the tiles and made direct headway to Illyria. The demon jumped out of the way, rolling to the side to avoid the flames before I pounced.

My fists connected heavily, but my touch didn't spread the fire on my skin to Illyria and I didn't know why. It was either due to Illyria being and Old One or time being slowed effecting it.

I was thrown back, hitting a wall before the floor and my tail twitched. Pushing myself up, I broke the tiles under my feet before lunging at the demon once more. Illyria was faster, blocking my fists and kicks with smooth motions and steps. My tail wrapped around a leg and I spun on my heel before throwing Illyria into a wall.

Time went back to normal, but I hadn't even noticed as I was still pushing myself to keep my speed to the max. Illyria stood and raised a hand, opening a portal and walking straight for it. Roaring, I tackled Illyria, but we both tumbled through to the other side, crashing into the temple.

I groaned when I was swung into a column, breaking through the solid, thick rock.

"You're too late." Illyria declared, already walking up the stairs as I was trying to stand. "My army will rise. This world will be mine once again."

"I....I can't let you do that." I panted, feeling how my entire body ached.

"I don't need your permission, mutt." Illyria reached the top of the stairs and I saw the demon pause. "No. It can't be." Hurrying up the stairs, I saw Illyria on its knees before the crumbled remains of a statue. "It's gone. My world....is gone." From where I stood I could see nothing but ruins and dust. Time had touched this place and had been unkind.

Finally reaching my limit as Illyria had seemingly given up, my flames flickered out and I was left standing there beside the demon.

"You may be able to slow time, Illyria, but nothing can avoid it in this realm." Those unnaturally blue eyes looked at me and suddenly Illyria was gone and a portal was open behind me.

~

"No army of doom scorchin' the Earth. Huzzah for our side." Spike raised his hand in sarcastic victory.

"We need to close the gateway to Illyria's temple, permanently." Angel stated. "I don't want any more surprises."

"What about the leather queen?"

"She still has enough juice to be a threat."

"Enough juice that I couldn't even kick her ass." I sighed, feeling so exhausted I might just faceplant onto the floor and sleep for a week.

"We regroup, and we take care of it. Wes?"

"It's all we can do. ....I'll be in the lab."

"Long day." Spike sniffed. "That offer still good? Send us abroad, roving agent and all?"

"Yeah, it's still good."

"Great. Maybe you should send Gunn....before Wes has another poke."

"You're not leaving?"

"It's what she would have wanted." Spike paused. "It's what _I_ want." The blond got to his feet while looking at Angel. "I don't really like you. Suppose I never will. But this is important....what's happenin' here. Fred gave her life for it. The least I can do is give what's left of mine. The fight's coming, Angel. We can feel it. And it's gonna be a hell of a lot bigger than Illyria. Things are gonna get ugly." He gave a sad smile. "That's where I live."

~

It was now that it was final that Fred was and would forever be gone and that I wasn't fighting that I broke down. I was crying, exhausted and hurting in more ways than one while curled up there in the dark. Unlike before, I didn't have to bawl my eyes out in the dark alone. Spike was holding me, also grieving the lost friend as I had my face buried in his chest.

He wouldn't lie and tell me everything would be okay, he was just quiet, letting me cry and mourn.


	107. So lay down

"Hey, Pops."

"....Aud?"

"Yeah, it's me. How....how have you been?" I held the phone to my ear, nervously fiddling with the twisted chord attached to it.

"Oh, Aud. It's so good to hear your voice." It sounded like he was actually relieved. "And-and I've been good. Things are....they're good. How about you?"

"I've done better, but I'm okay."

"Where are you? Where have you....where have you been?"

"Andrew didn't tell you?" There was a pause and I cleared my throat before sitting on the edge of the desk. "Pops, when I left....I went to Wolfram and Hart. I was going to kill Angel- Hell, I nearly did. But then Spike was here." I told him, listening for anything on his end. "I've been...." Taking a deep breath, I let it out through my nose. "I've been here pretty much since then."

"Aud....you're with Wolfram and Hart?"

"No! No, no, no." I quickly said. "For a time, I just sort of lived here in Wesley's office. Didn't really have anywhere else. Now I actually live in an apartment." I chuckled. "It's pretty complicated."

"So you're in an apartment in L.A.?"

"Yeah. And-"

"Aud, love, who the bloody Hell are you talkin' to?" Looking up, I saw Spike walking in and setting down a few grocery bags.

"It's Pops." I smiled as the blond glanced to me and he raised his brows.

"Oh, well....tell the old bugger I said 'Hi', then."

"No need, I can hear him." Pops stated and his tone sounded a bit strange.

"You think it's weird, don't you?" I questioned and heard Pops stumbling over words trying to form a simple sentence in reply.

"No, not at all. I, uh- It-it, um- No, definitely not weird at all."

"No, I get it. It is strange. I mean, _me_ , Aud Giles, formerly disgusted by even kisses, now sharing an apartment with William the Bloody, a decades old vampire and asshole that hardly ever does dishes."

"Hey!" The blond stood up from the fridge after putting packs of blood onto the shelves.

"It's weird, but....it's nice, Pops. How is everyone?" Asking, I listened while losing track of time while on the phone with the human.

Fred had made me remember just how short life could be and I didn't want to leave things as they were between Pops and I with only a letter being our last form of contact. After everything was through with here, I was definitely going to pay a visit to the old man whether I was anxious or not.

~

"No way. Even if my connection to the senior partners wasn't completely severed, I'm done helping you."

"This isn't a negotiation, Eve."

"Ooh, I'm intimidated." She took a step towards Angel with her arms crossed. "What could you possibly do to me? I've been trapped in this house for weeks like a-"

"Rat? Snake? Beady little rat snake?" Spike popped off.

"You're not trapped, Eve. You're hiding. You know the second you step out that door, the second you don't have these symbols keeping you invisible to the partners, they're gonna zero in. So don't bother playing the pity angle. The only thing you care about is saving your own ass."

"The only thing I care about is gone." Eve stated. "You gave him up to the senior partners. Let them suck him into the-"

"Could do the same to you. Tell 'em how to see through your security system."

"You wouldn't."

"Not is you tell me what I wanna know." Angel looked down at the woman and I could only roll my eyes. How was this chick even still alive?

"You bastard! You told them!" Eve rose her voice as the apartment began to shake and things in the room rattled.

"Wasn't me."

"Oh, God. They're coming. Please, don't let them take me! Angel, please! I'll tell you! I'll tell you anything you wanna know!" Eve begged and Angel glanced from the woman to Spike and I.

"We're really gonna do this." I sighed, hurrying to the window and checking outside. When I saw that the coast was clear, I threw open the window and turned back to the others. "What? We gotta get out of here, right? Hurry up."

~

"Harmony!" Angel called as soon as the elevator doors opened.

"Yepper?"

"Call security. Put 'em on red alert. Nobody gets in this building without clearance from me. I want a guard at every entrance, every elevator, every stairwell. Cover the whole building."

"Okay, but you know that never works?"

"Harmony."

"On it."

"All right. Stay with Eve." The brunette then turned on his heel and pointed. "Anything gets past security, kill it."

"Where are you goin'?"

"To see my lawyer." Angel replied before quickly walking off.

"Why do _we_ have to get stuck with Eve?" I sighed, pushing the doors to Angel's office.

"I'd wager it's 'cause we're the strongest here, love."

"I say we lock the door, let me squeeze the info out of her, and then we let the senior partners have at her."

"As nice as that plan may sound, we can't."

"Why not?"

"Because." Spike answered and I looked at him as he had Eve sit on the couch. I quirked up a brow at the blond and he made a face while waving his hand. "Look- innit supposed to be you wantin' to behave and trying to keep me from torturin' folks, not the other way around?"

"Brilliant. Really. They'll never look for me here. I'm gonna die."

"You make it hard for me to wanna help you." Spike popped off as Eve got up and started pacing.

"We don't wanna help her, but we will. You're under my protection." Angel strolled in and Eve looked a fraction relieved.

"Oh, thank the gods."

"But, you know, I can take it away with one phone call. Convince me not to, Eve."

"How can I?"

"Let's start with something easy, huh? You."

"Me?"

"What are you? What do you do for the senior partners?"

"I'm a liaison. I liase." Angel crossed his arms and the woman sat back onto the couch as we looked down at her. "What do you want me to say? I'm a leprechaun. I'm from Brigadoon."

"If I had a nickel for every time I heard that one." Spike said under his breath and I put my hands onto my hips.

"You're clearly not a leprechaun."

"There are layers upon layers at Wolfram and Hart, Angel. Things you'll never understand. What am I?" Eve stood and half-shrugged. "I'm a child of the senior partners, created to do their bidding."

"You're an immortal.... Why are you here?" The brunette vampire shifted on his feet.

"To watch. Tell them what I see. Pass on a message to you, if there are any."

"So you're, uh, middle management?"

"What are the senior partners? Huh? What are they?" Angel continued with his questioning and Eve shook her head.

"No idea."

"Eve."

"Do you honestly believe the senior partners would let me have access to that information? Angel, for someone so old, you're so young." Eve stated, making me snort. "I only know what they want me to know, and only when they want me to know it."

"You don't know anything."

"Maybe. Maybe I know a lot. But I don't have access to it. It's locked in my head somewhere, and I don't have the key."

"Guess we'll just have to pick the lock." I said flatly, growing my claws and taking a step towards Eve. She stumbled back, falling onto the couch as her eyes went wide with fear.

"Aud, back off." Angel raised his hand, holding it up between Eve and I as if that would stop me.

"Come on, just give me two minutes with her and all this will be solved."

"Ready for the funny part?" Eve spoke up, not moving as her gaze was glued to my sharp nails. "There was someone who could have told you everything you want to know and you let the senior partners take him away."

"Lindsey." Angel sighed, going to sit on the edge of his desk.

"Lindsey's dedicated years of his life to the study the senior partners. No one knows more about them than he does. What they've done, what they plan to do."

"I thought he was after me." The brunette male looked confused and waved his hand. "You're saying bringing Spike back, the fail-safe- that was all about the senior partners?"

"No, it's about you too. He really doesn't like you. But he may know more about you than, well, you do."

"Which is why they snatched him up." Now Angel was pacing in front of his desk.

"Yeah. They couldn't risk him and you havin' a sit-down." Spike piped up.

"And now....what he's going through."

"They didn't kill him?"

"They would want him to suffer horrors. Lindsey is in some hideous, awful Hell."

~

"There's thousands of different kinds of Hells. You got your fire Hell, your ice Hell, your....ice Hell, your upside-down Hell-" Spike was pacing, lifting a finger for every type of Hell he listed.

"Look, I don't care if he's in toy poodles on parade Hell. He's got information that we need."

"According to the girl, whose only reason for being is to see her little pookie bear again." The blond pointed to the brunette woman.

"I'm not lying. Tell him I'm not lying." Eve turned to both Lorne and I.

"She's not....this time."

"No one can fake it through the piña colada song, not once the chorus kicks in." Lorne added.

"If Lindsey can tell me what the senior partners have planned, I want him." Angel smacked his hands onto his desk while rising from his chair. "You got a better idea on how to do it, I'm totally open.

"Didn't say that." Spike raised his hands. "Just merely pointed out that this one _sucks_. We're lookin' for a Hell dimension in a haystack."

"I'm telling you guys, just let me tor-"

"You don't even know if that will work." Angel huffed. "The senior partners control what Eve knows, beating her senseless won't make her know."

"Yeah, but it'd still be entertaining." I popped off. "What? She does nothing but piss me off, okay?"

"All right, now how are we supposed to know which dimension-"

"I know, and I can get us in." A voice from the door spoke up and we all turned to see Gunn.

"Us?"

~

I started flippin' through the brain files as soon as Harmony told me. Figured there had to be some kind of precedent."

"And?"

"Senior partners had trouble with a guy in the Tokyo division way back. Lindsey probably got the tattoo idea from studying up on him." Gunn explained as we were walking through the car garage.

"And wherever they sent this guy, that's where Lindsey is."

"Yup."

"I hope it's Toy Poodle Hell." Spike sighed. "I've had my fill of fire."

"It's not Hell. It's a Wolfram and Hart holding dimension."

"Meaning what? The senior partners haven't decided what to do with Lindsey?"

"Their version of a penalty box."

"Great."

"And how exactly are we supposed to get there? Got a map and a dimension jumper?" I questioned and Gunn stopped.

"How about a Camaro?" He tossed Angel a set of keys and we looked at the sleek, dark blue vehicle in front of us. Getting in, Gunn and Angel took the front seats while Spike and I were in the back, but as soon as the brunette put the car into drive it seemed to take on a life of its own.

"This is weirdin' me out. Is this weirding you out?" Angel had his hands up and looked to Gunn in the passenger seat as we were turning a corner on the dark street.

"What, you never heard of _Knight Rider_?" Spike popped off, leaning forward to poke his head between the front two seats. " _Knight Industries 2000_? _KITT_?" They looked at him blankly and the bleached blond shook his head. "Never mind." Grabbing one of his belt loops, I pulled him back to make him return to his seat- the car was cramped as it was and I didn't need his ass in my face.

"Car's built to get us there. Once we have Lindsey, it's on us to find the Wrath."

"The Wrath?!" Spike popped back up to look Gunn eye to eye. "You know that's gonna be a giggle." He scoffed.

"Whatever it is, we gotta go through it to get out."

"I've never seen these streets before." Angel mumbled.

"Where we're goin', not in the Thomas Guide."

"There's gonna be fire." Spike sighed as the vehicle entered a tunnel.

"Yeah, and if you don't get your ass out of my face there's gonna be fire in the back seat." I bared my teeth as a warning and the blond glanced back over his shoulder at me. He went back to looking forward and....sat on my lap. "You fuckin' serious?"

"It's not in your face." raising my hands to get him off, I paused as the car suddenly flooded with light and outside as we exited the tunnel looked to be day. "This isn't Hell. It's the 'burbs. Close enough."

" _This_ is Lindsey's punishment for trying to kill me?" Angel scoffed. "Maybe it's a reward." Looking out the window to my side, I just saw house after house that looked basically the same with only some yards being a deviation from the previous one. The repetition of the street was....unnerving.

"Oh, so we just open with being on fire. That's great." Spike popped off as the Camaro pulled up in front of a house.

"Well, we can put our coats over our heads and make a run for it." Angel suggested as Gunn was unbuckling himself. He suddenly opened his door and the two vampires yelled while trying to cover themselves as they cowered as far from the light as they could. Gunn just looked at them like they were idiots and it took them a second to realize they weren't catching fire.

"Alternate dimension, remember? Sun's the non-frying variety."

"Figured that." Spike stated but was still squinting.

"Oh, right." Angel said as if he had known but forgotten.

"Can we go?"

"Yeah." Angel opened his door and stepped out. Chuckling, I climbed out of the car and looked to the house in front of us. "We grab Lindsey and get out."

"Kill anything in our way."

"What's gonna be in our way, the family mutt?" Spike popped off as we neared the front door.

"This is Wolfram and Hart. Odds are there's something ugly behind that door." Gunn furrowed his brows as the blond pushed the doorbell.

"Can I help you?" The blonde woman asked while smiling after opening the door.

"Uh....is Lindsey home?" Angel questioned.

"Sure. Come on in." He smile widened, showing her dimples as she opened the door more and stepped back. "Honey!" She called out into the house. "There's coffee." She offered us while pointing over her shoulder.

"No, we're fine, thanks."

"Zach's hockey stick's gone missing." A familiar face came down the stairs and he paused when he saw us. "Oh. I didn't realize we had company." He sent a smile to the blond woman at his side.

"I'll do search and rescue." The woman walked off and we just stood there in the living room.

"Okay. How can I help you guys?"

"Cut the act, Ward. June's gone."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't know who we are?"

"No. Do you play in the league?"

"N-no. Uh, I'm-I'm Angel. This is Spike, Gunn, and Aud."

"You might want to have a seat."

"Okay." Lindsey gave the brunette a look but went to the couch. "Is this about the free vacation I entered to win?"

"Does the name Wolfram and Hart mean anything to you? It's a law firm. You used to work there."

"Sorry, Gunn, is it? Yeah, no, the only lawyer I know is the one that fixes my speeding tickets, so-"

"That guy- he's not real. None of this is." Angel stated, sitting on the arm of a chair. "You're under some spell."

"What?"

"Nuts and bolts, you're in Hell. We've come to break you out." Spike gestured to us and Lindsey clearly wasn't believing it.

"All right, who put you up to this, huh? Was it Fisher?"

"There's no joke here. You're in a mystical holding cell- an alternate reality." Gunn explained.

"So Trish is not my wife, and Zach's not my son?"

"Now he's gettin' it. Ever heard of something called the Wrath?"

"Seriously, is Fisher outside? I- Come on." Lindsey got up and went to the window to look while smiling.

"Lindsey, this whole life is a lie."

"All right. This is startin' to get a little less funny. I think you guys should leave."

"I can't believe I'm saying this....but we're here to help." Angel stood up and Lindsey stepped forward while waving a finger.

"Okay, get out, now."

"Look, we're telling you the truth." The brunette vampire grabbed the human by the front of his shirt. "You don't wanna believe it, that's your choice. Either way, you're comin' with us."

"Get off of me!"

"Maybe this'll help you make up your mind." Angel grabbed Lindsey's weird necklace and ripped it off. The man fell to the floor, hitting the coffee table as he landed on his hands and knees. He seemed to sway before looking up.

"Angel." He panted. "Make it quick."

"If I was gonna kill you, it wouldn't be quick." Angel grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to his feet.

"Oh, hi!" Spike waved. "Your hubby was just showin' us a thing." He spoke to the smiling blonde woman as she walked into view, but suddenly we were having to duck for cover from her firearm suddenly spraying bullets our way. "Seems your wife's a little moody!" Spike yelled over the gunfire at Lindsey.

"Get Lindsey in the car! Go, now!" Angel shoved Lindsey our way before running right at the blonde woman. Rushing outside, we stopped when we saw the empty street.

"The car left us."

"What?"

"Car's gone." I pointed, and we momentarily paused while looking at the empty road before we heard screeching tires and the ice cream man pulled up with an automatic gun. We had to duck back inside as the yard was torn up by bullets and the mailman rounded the corner while duel wielding.

"Our bloody ride's gone!" Spike yelled to Angel as he was punching the woman.

"Get down!" Gunn shouted and a little boy was coming down the stairs while firing at us. We had to take cover behind the couch as the upholstery was shredded by the kid's gun. "We gotta find the Wrath! Where's the Wrath?"

"Where's not the Wrath? Wrath's all over!"

"Lindsey, think! Do you know where it is?"

"I don't know."

"Door by the kitchen. Might be a way out through the cellar."

"No, we can't go down there! Not the cellar!"

"Cellar it is, then."

"Guess we found the Wrath."

"Go!"

"Please, no! No! We're all gonna die!"

"Not today." Angel shoved the couch into the little boy and we made a run for it.

"Every day!" Lindsey whined.

"Holy-"

"Nothin' holy here." Gunn stated as we looked around the basement. I could smell blood thickly in the air and could see torture equipment all around the room.

"....Heart?" Spike plucked up one of the organs in a pile of hearts by a table. "Whose are these?"

"Mine." Lindsey stated and the bleached blond dropped it like he had touched something disgusting.

"Oh."

"Try and find a door. Some way out." Angel glanced at us.

"With pleasure. The faster we get out of here the better." We dispersed, looking around the cellar for a door that could lead to an exit. "Somebody has fun with these."

"Spike."

"The Wrath?"

"Could be." The two vampires stood in front of a metal door to a burning furnace of sorts.

"What did I tell you." Spike looked from the fire to Angel, and the brunette tried opening the door.

"The lock's mystical." Gunn stated.

"Well, how do we-"

"He's coming."

"Who?"

"He knows. He always knows." Lindsey shook his head and I furrowed my brows.

"Way to be cryptic, little man. Who?"

"Him. Gunn, guard Lindsey." Angel ordered and we turned to see a big, hulking demon coming from the shadows. Gunn quickly got Lindsey out of the way as Spike grabbed an axe from the wall and went at the larger demon. Angel followed suit, but the two of them were easily thrown back.

Bouncing on the balls of my feet, I rolled my shoulders and ran, letting some of my demonic features show as I jumped onto the demon's back. The chains and metal on the beast clanked together as it spun, trying to grab at me and pull me off while I had him in a headlock and was tightening my grip.

Spike got to his feet and swung from a chain hanging from the ceiling, trying to kick the demon in it's chest, but the demon caught the blond and threw him, hitting Spike while he was down. Growling, I squeezed my legs and tail around the demon's torso, hearing and feeling the big guy's ribs popping and snapping.

He reared back, roaring in pain and anger while grabbing at me again. Reaching up, I grabbed a wooden beam and lifted, digging my claws into the wood for extra measure. The demon's feet left the ground before I suddenly dropped him and kicked his shoulder blades, sending him face first into the concrete floor.

"Gunn, no! What the Hell are you doing?" Angel shouted as Gunn took a stand and put Lindsey's necklace on himself.

"What needs to be done."

"I'm not leaving you here."

"You don't make the rules here. Wolfram and Hart does. If one leaves, one has to stay. A void is impossible." Gunn stated and the door in the back opened.

"....You knew."

"Thing about atonement."

"Gunn." Angel just looked at the human and they seemed to have a silent understanding before the brunette vampire turned. "Let's go."

"You are _not_ bloody serious."

"When I forget, the door closes. Go. You _have_ to."

"But-"

"No, there's no fighting it. _Go_." Gunn turned towards the staircase and Spike quickly grabbed Lindsey.

~

"Oof!" I grunted, faceplanting onto the hood of a car as other bodies landed on top of me.

"I'm on fire!" Spike jumped off, shouting as he pat his clothes until he stopped and realized he was fine. "Oh, never mind."

"Lindsey!" I looked up and saw that the car hood we had landed on had Eve and Lorne inside. "What did they do to you?" She hugged the human male as Angel was helping him to stand.

"He'll be fine."

"Whereas we got shot and almost killed by a juiced-up S&M demon. Thanks for askin'." Spike popped off.

"Let's get upstairs."

"Be careful, he's hurt!" Eve called after Angel as he was dragging Lindsey away.

"Uh, Angel, you should know, there's a very tall, well-dressed, uh-" Lorne looked around. "Where's gun?" Angel stopped walking. "Angel?"

"He, uh, he stayed behind."

"Stayed behind? But you never leave a- Or I guess we do. That's what we do now." There was a banging from the stairs and Eve stood behind me.

"Oh, god."

"Like I was sayin'...." The door flew off and a tall male stepped into the garage.

"Damn....he _is_ well dressed."

"Please, don't do this!"

"Eve's under my protection, you can't touch her." Angel stepped forward, letting go of Lindsey and letting him fall if Spike hadn't caught him. The stranger reached into his suit jacket and pulled out....a pen?

"Wow. I didn't see that comin'." Spike raised his eyebrows as the man looked at the human woman.

"You know how it works, Eve."

"You can talk to the senior partners, tell them it's a mistake!" She told him, but the man only chuckled and pulled out some papers.

"That's impossible."

"I said, back off."

"Don't bother, Angel. It's over." Eve sounded defeated and walked towards the man holding out a pen.

"Sign here. Good girl."

"What the Hell's goin' on?"

"Oh, sorry for the intrusion. I'm Marcus Hamilton, your new liaison to the senior partners. And here."

"You're _what_?"

"Along with her immortality and certain other privileges, Eve has signed over her duties to me. And- Oh, and initial here."

"This is about a contract? I thought you said you were gonna _die_."

"And now, one day I will."

"The senior partners felt it was time for a change. Eve was too easily distracted." Marcus folded the papers back up and stuffed them into his coat along with the pen. "Lost sight of the big picture."

"I fell in love."

"Yes. Congratulations. Wonderful escape, by the way. Very clever. We'll be in touch." He gestured to Angel while smiling. "Oh, I have some excellent ideas I can't wait to share."

"This is my house. the only ideas that matter are mine."

"Oh, absolutely. That's the policy. The senior partners are behind you 100%."

"I doubt that."

"I'm looking forward to working myself into the mix. Angel. Spike. Aud. Welcome to the team." He raised his hands while stepping back.

"Well, he's not so bad." Lorne didn't sound that convinced of his own words, but I could tell he was relieved.

~

"Ouch! Take it easy, Green Jeans."

"Yeah. 'Fraid I don't have Fredikin's gentle touch." Lorne dropped another bullet into a plate, using forceps to pull them out of Spike's back.

"Just get on with it."

"I'm tellin' you, it'd be much faster if I just dug them out with-"

"No!" The blond quickly shot me a look. "You're not diggin' in my back with those bloody daggers."

"They're claws, not daggers, ya wimp."

"I think that'd do more harm than good, Snowflake." The green demon glanced at me, dropping a bullet as it clinked onto the plate.

"He'd heal." I popped off while crossing my arms.

"Look. It's the hero of the hour." Lindsey watched as Angel walked back in while buttoning on a new shirt.

"I'm not your hero. I'm your warden."

"It's all how you look at the glass."

"I'd have thought a few months of torture at the hands of the senior partners would've dug a little deeper."

"Just scratched the surface." Lindsey smirked and Lorne finally got the last bullet out of Spike as he got up from the coffee table and grabbed his shirt. "Turns out they can only undo you as far as you think you deserve to be undone. I wonder how Gunn's gonna make out."

"The senior partners- I wanna know everything you know about them. About the apocalypse, about their plans for me."

"And for us. Guy with the pen said, 'Welcome to the team.' Must have meant somethin'." The blond questioned while pulling on his shirt full of holes.

"You know what I know. Look around. The world's a cesspool filled with selfish and greedy beasts. We live. We die. Even you, babe." Lindsey turned to Eve and she made a face.

"Lindsey, don't."

"You still happy to see me?"

"Yeah, Hell's on Earth." Angel sighed. "Holland Manners tried to sell me that line three years ago."

"Did you ever prove him wrong?"

"All how you look at the glass. You know, Lindsey, we can philosophize all night. Hell, we can do it forever. I don't need to eat, sleep, drink. How about you?" The brunette vampire took a seat and the human male smiled.

"That's what I like to see. Angel of yore. Takes no prisoners. Suffers no fools. How about this? It's here. It's been here all along, underneath. You're just too damned stupid to see it."

"See what?"

"The apocalypse, man. You're soakin' in it."

"I've seen an apocalypse or two in my time. I'd know if one was under my nose."

"Not _an_ apocalypse. _The_ apocalypse. What, did you think a gong was gonna sound? Time to jump on your horses and fight the big fight? Starting pistol went off a long time ago, boys. You're playing for the bad guys. Every day you sit behind your desk and you learn a little more how to accept the world the way it is. Well, here's the rub. Heroes don't do that. Heroes don't _accept_ the world the way it is. They fight it."

"You're saying everything we do is a distraction to keep us busy from lookin' under the surface?"

"Ding. We got a winner. World keeps sliding towards entropy and degradation. And what do you do? You sit in your big chair and you sign your checks just like the senior partners planned. The war is here, Angel, and you're already two soldiers down."

"I have a question for you, Lindsey." I spoke up, looking down at the man on the couch next to Eve. "Was it the senior partners that sent me the journal on my kind?" The man looked amused and chuckled.

"You just now figuring that out? Wolfram and Hart has been keeping tabs on you for a long time, Aud. Of course, it was hard when you were with the Watcher's Council, but once you moved to Sunnydale....so easy. Didn't take them long to figure out what you are, and even less time for them to decide that they wanted you. And now here you are, just like they wanted."


	108. The threat is real

"Right. We need to set some ground rules. First off, no more punching me in the face." Spike was panting and raised his hands, talking to Illyria as I entered the training room with a plate stacked full of PB&J's. "Secondly, when I punch you in the face you tell me how you feel so I can write that down on my clipboard." The blond bent down to pick up the aforementioned object. "Third, no touchin' my clipboard. Fourth-"

"I enjoy hurting you."

"Well," Spike scoffed. "we're gonna have to fix that, 'cause I'm-" Illyria kicked him in the face, but the vampire didn't even go down so I didn't bother stepping in as I sat on a pile of mats. The blond dropped his clipboard and swung a fist at the demon, causing her head to jerk to the side. I blinked and the next thing I knew Spike was flying across the room as Wesley stepped in.

"How goes it?"

"I've been hitting the half-breed. He makes noise." Illyria smiled.

"We're off to a bit of a rough start." Spike sighed, getting to his feet and I merely watched them while stuffing my face. "But don't worry. I'll break her."

"She's not a horse, Spike." Wesley made a face while the vampire put his hands on his hips. "You know this room is equipped with automated training devices. You don't have to test her by just allowing her to pummel you."

"We're workin' on the basics." Spike pointed. "But don't worry, I'm writing it all down."

"Okay, fine." The ex-Watcher sighed, crossing his arms as the demon circled over to him.

"You reek of frustration. Curls off of you like smoke."

"Actually, love, we call that scotch. Twelve-year Lagavulin, if I'm not mistaken. Good choice."

"It's nothing. I'm just, uh, I had a slight disagreement with Angel."

"Oh, old broody pants got you wound up, eh? Keep in mind he can't get laid without maybe goin' crazy. Makes it funny." Spike popped off and I snorted, trying not to choke on my food.

"In my time a leader would punish your insolence with death."

"We're not being insolent, Illyria." Wesley waved his hand and Spike shifted on his feet.

"I am."

"It's just, uh, I don't always understand Angel."

"Yet you follow him willingly. You're loyal to him."

"He's earned it. I trust he knows what he's doing."

~

"You _filthy_ harlot!" Spike growled after Illyria had thrown his clipboard after him through the double doors. "I'm gonna tear your neck out!" Spike did no such thing and ended up with his face on the floor and Illyria stepping on his cheek.

"You know, I'd usually be really pissed off seeing Spike get his ass handed to him, but since he's not bleeding and you're not doing it out of malice it seems rather amusing."

"Guys, you wanna come here for a second?" Looking up, I saw Angel walking in with a teenager.

"What is she?" He questioned, looking at Illyria.

"She's, um, a- Well, to be honest, I really don't know. She's some sort of ancient demon."

"She have any powers?"

"Glad you asked." Spike was rubbing his neck now that he was standing. "So far, I've established that she can hit like a Mack truck, selectively alter the flow of time and, uh, possibly talk to plants."

"You're forgetting the heightened senses." I added, pointing at the clipboard in the vampire's hands.

"Right. And heightened senses." Spike handed the clipboard to Angel to let him have a look.

"I'd like to keep Spike as my pet."

"Connor, this is Spike and Illyria-" Angel was cut off as I drop kicked Illyria, sending her into the nearest wall. "And that's Aud."

"Whoa....and what is she?" The boy pointed at me and I gave a warning growl to Illyria as she was getting back to her feet while smiling. She was amused by the sudden attack, but no way in any Hell was I going to let Spike be her 'pet'.

"Uh, half-demon. Guys, this is Connor."

"I want Aud as well." Illyria stated, knocking me onto the floor and keeping me there by stepping on my chest.

"Hi. Um, I like your outfit." Connor waved a little at Illyria and the demon looked the boy up and down.

"Your body warms. This one is lusting after me."

"Oh, no. I-I- It's-it's just, uh, the outfit. I guess I've always had a thing for older women."

"They were supposed to fix that." Angel said under his breath.

"What?"

"Nothing." The brunette vampire quickly said and my attention turned to the two of them as I furrowed my brows. "Connor has brought us a case. We're looking into it. Just showin' him around."

"Hey, you kids, uh, playin' with the training room?"

"Hi, Lorne." I said from the floor and received a smile from the green demon.

"Whoa! Man, this place is way better than college."

"Ange-babe, uh, Wes is requesting your presence upstairs. Has a little demon info for your peepers." Lorne jerked his head towards the doors and Angel handed the clipboard back to Spike.

"It was nice meeting you." Connor smiled, following the vampire and demon out.

"You, too." I grunted, going full demon and grabbing Illyria's leg before twisting, dragging her to the floor with me as I rolled on top of her.

"You're in college?" Angel held the door open for Lorne and the boy that was now staring at me as I was on fire.

"Yeah."

"Where at?"

"Stanford."

"Really?" And the door closed as Illyria and I were wrestling and rolling around. However, I found I was a bit preoccupied by the fact that Connor and Angel oddly looked like they could be related and even faintly smelled alike.

"Spike, now is really not the time for that." I huffed, pinning Illyria down while glancing to the bleach blond watching the two of us.

"What? I'm just takin' notes."

"I believe she is referring to your state of arousal. Like the boy, you are lusting." The demon stated in a monotone manner and Spike just said nothing while pursing his lips and diverting his eyes to the clipboard. Though, he really didn't need to say anything, I knew seeing me kick ass turned him on sometimes. "You two are a breeding pair, yes?" Illyria managed to get the upper hand, slamming me down onto the floor with an audible thud.

"If you mean mates, then yeah." I grunted.

"How did such a thing happen? I am aware you are both half-breeds, but even so....he is beneath you." Mule kicking Illyria off of me, I jumped to my feet.

"Actually, last night he was also on top. But, yanno, good guess." I chuckled, raising my fists as I took a fighting stance.

"I'm just gonna keep takin' notes over here." Spike raised his brows, still keeping his eyes on the clipboard.

~

"What do you want, Aud?" Angel sighed, seeing me sitting on the edge of his desk with my arms crossed.

"I want to know how you did it."

"Did what?"

"Connor....he's your son. That shouldn't be possible." The vampire froze, looking at me with a calculating gaze. "Vampires are sterile, so I have no clue how you managed to have a kid, but he's definitely yours."

"I don't know what you're-"

"He looks too similar. Sure, that wouldn't have convinced me, a lot of people can look alike, but his scent has some of the same traces as yours. Not to mention you seem familiar with him despite Connor not knowing you at all." Locking eyes with Angel, I continued. "I also know the look of a father." He glanced to the closed doors to his office before sighing through his nose.

"Part of a prophesy."

"So, who'd you knock up? Some random chick? Sure as Hell wasn't Buffy."

"Actually, it was my Sire." He saw the face I was making and shook his head. "Long story."

"So was that who you were with all night? Connor?"

"Why are you so interested?"

"Uh, maybe because he's an impossible kid. He's literally the offspring of vampires. That's, like, even more impossible than me."

"Yeah, well, it happened."

"Man, prophecies are wild."


	109. When his sight

"All right, Grandma. I'll give you that. Good one." Spike panted before rushing Illyria, dodging her kick and diverting her fist to hit her in the face.

"This shell." She began to circle the blond. "You had affection for it. For Fred."

"Uh-huh. Tons. Loved the bird."

"Yet you strike at her form without sentiment."

"You ain't her. I can see it. Lord knows, I can smell it. And I got no problem hitting it." Spike went to strike but Illyria caught his arm, so he kneed her in the gut, causing her to stumble back.

"You are adapting."

"We do that." He smiled, fixing his coat.

"Adaptation is compromise." She went low, aiming for Spike's legs and he jumped to avoid it.

"It's called learning. But then I guess you know everything there is to know."

"When the world met me, it shuddered, groaned. It knelt at my feet."

" _'Dear Penthouse, I don't normally write letters like this, but-'_ " Spike's mocking was cut off by a fist colliding with his jaw and he chuckled while rubbing where a bruise would no doubt form.

"Illyria was all they needed to know."

"Then came the internet."

"You have nothing. Your kind has pulled this domain apart. Each of you has snatched a tiny piece of it. Even those with the mightiest hordes are paupers." Illyria stated as the two circled each other and I took notes on the clipboard.

"The one who dies with the most toys wins, eh?"

"To never die and to conquer all- that is winning." Illyria was now looking at me and she gently lifted my braid off of my shoulder with a strange look was in her eyes. "Not even the Ustrina Augendae are pure anymore. Ardor didn't have to see his bloodline tainted by these....mud-crawlers."

"Uh, actually, Aud's the only one of her kind here." Spike raised his eyebrows and Illyria's gaze snapped to him.

"What do you mean? What happened to them?"

"Well, if there were ever any here, they were driven out or killed."

"Impossible. The Ustrina-"

"Are good ingredients for magic." I stated. "I've learned that my kind were hunted to near extinction because of what we can do. And as trophies."

"How could that possibly happen?" Illyria's brows furrowed and she looked honesty appalled that an Ustrina Augendae could be felled.

"The cold. Those that hunted them used magic to make it colder, leaving it near impossible to fight back. Others of my kind haven't been in this world for a _very_ long time- if ever- until my mother came."

"No, there were more of your kind- purebreeds- in this world long ago. Ardor was one of them."

"Spike, can I talk to you for a minute?" Angel's voice suddenly came from the speakers above.

"You may go."

"Yeah. Great. Thanks so much. Now stop touchin' my girl." Spike said while going for the door.

"Getting jealous 'cause she's petting me, huh?" I chuckled and the vampire just shot me a look before leaving. "So....why don't you tell me more about this Ardor. Why was he so important to you?"

"He wasn't-"

"You keep mentioning him. Every time you say his name, you get a sad look in your eye." Illyria went quiet, then cocked her head to the side before speaking.

"In your terms, he was the closest I had to a 'friend'."

"So, demons like you had friends?"

"No, only allies, enemies, and servants." She dropped my braid and turned her back on me.

"Allies can be friends, you know."

"Is that what you and Angel are? Friends?"

"Oh, Hell no. I almost killed the poor bastard. More than once. We're just....allies now."

"Then do you have friends at all?"

"I do. Lorne, Wesley, Fred-" I paused. "Well, before Fred died, anyway."

"You and Wesley....are friends?" Illyria looked back at me and I nodded.

"I met Wesley a long time ago, he was a very different man back then, but we became friends and still are. I guess you could say he's sort of a....brotherly figure in a way?"

"So you see him as family as well? Despite him being human and you a half-breed?"

"Family doesn't have to be blood, Illyria. You know, I don't think any of us may be able to get over what happened to Fred because of you, but....perhaps one day you can find allies in some of us."

"I don't need filthy half-breeds and humans to be my allies." Illyria snarled and I just made a face.

"Mm-hmm. And people called _me_ the loner."

"What are you implying?"

"That you're lonely. You're in a world you no longer recognize, time has changed everything and everyone- those you once knew are but dust or dormant now." The demon went quiet again but suddenly vanished and I sighed. "Okay, then."

~

"Okay. Upshot is you don't like Babe the Blue Ox in your house and you want to get rid of her." Spike had his hands on his hips, pacing around the long table.

"Yeah." Angel flipped a pen he had in his hand before setting is down on top of the papers in front of himself.

"So? Are we talkin' pasture or slaughterhouse?"

"She didn't have a problem killing Fred, did she?"

"Illyria infected Fred with no more malice than a viral phage."

"Hey, look, Wes, I know you're bonding with her, but-"

"But she's unpredictable, dangerous, too powerful a being, too close to being an enemy. Yes, Angel, it's self-evident." Wesley spoke lowly and he smelled as much like alcohol as he had earlier that morning.

"Which means we have to find some kind of weakness." Angel leaned on the table. "Some point of vulnerability."

"You want me to find a way to kill her."

"You got a problem with that?"

"No." Wesley said firmly, looking Angel in the eye and he wasn't lying in the slightest bit.

"Good. Because we got more than enough problems to worry about."

"Yeah. For example, what about the apocalypse? Still trying to get my head around that one." Gunn furrowed his brows while clasping his hands together. "Lindsey said we're in the middle of it?"

"Oh, yes, the thousand-year war of good versus evil is well underway." Wesley leaned back in his chair.

"Evil just hasn't told anyone about it yet, which is probably why they're winning."

"Oh, by the way, we're apparently on the wrong side. Or the right side, if you like winning." Spike popped off, half-shrugging while glancing around the room.

"Sounds like you guys are buying it."

"Next time you go out there take a good look around, 'cause it's true, Gunn."

"Works for me. So what's that mean for us?"

"Tell us how we fight an invisible war. I don't even know who we're fighting. All the evil we've stopped so far- and we're still the partners' number-one earner."

"Not anymore." Hamilton entered the room, looking right at Angel as the vampire was now standing in front of the windows. "Let I ask you something, Angel. You ever heard the term _'surgical strike?'_ "

"Ever heard of the term _'appointment'_?"

"Illyria destroyed 11 torture units before she found your man- two troop carriers, an ice cream truck, and eight beautifully maintained lawns. Not to mention dozens of employees rendered useless to the company."

"Bill me." Angel smirked, plopping back down in his chair.

"Oh, we will. The damages are coming directly out of this division's profits. Congratulations. In one swift stroke, you've gone from leader of the pack to staggering at the rear."

"And?"

"Angel, you're a motivated go-getter at the top of the corporate ladder. Why don't you figure out what comes after 'and'." Marcus waved his hand.

"We're working on it."

"Yes, I'm sure you are. In the meantime, the partners have a _small_ task they'd like you to oversee. I'm sending Gunn the file. It's good to see you again, by the way. It's a simple matter, but with some very big players."

"If this is our chance to get into a better grace with the head office I'd have to say it's not my priority."

"Oh, no, don't think about us, Angel. Think about profits. It's profits that let you keep this plucky little boatload of good above water. It's business, boys, not a bat cave."

"I'd prefer a bat cave." I rose my brows as my tail twitched and the liaison looked at me as he went for the doors.

"Of course you would, Aud. Business and etiquette don't quite suit you." Marcus nodded to me and I threw the pen I was fiddling with at his forehead like a dagger. However, since this guy was leagues ahead of Eve, he simply closed the doors just in time to catch the pen. I huffed a growl and Lorne broke the silence.

"Well, I'll tell you what. I still like him better than Eve."

~

"Will you stop following me?" Not even looking behind me, I spoke to who I knew damn well was there and had been for a while now.

"So you noticed? Well, I should expect nothing less of you." The man chuckled and I rolled my eyes while still walking down the hall.

"Why are you still here?"

"You no doubt should be aware of the senior partners' interest in you by now."

"I am. Though, they aren't the first." Turning the corner, the taller male followed me still. "You get used to being chased and sought after when your blood can literally cure anything- as long as you're not human, that is." Stopping, I turned and crossed my arms. "Oh, or how about the fact that my body makes sparkler magic turn into nuclear warheads? The senior partners' _'interest'_ isn't anything new."

"No, but what they could give you is." Marcus smiled down at me, sliding his hands into his pockets casually. "Anything you could ever want and it's yours- you'd only have to work for them."

"Never." I snarled before pointing. "Wolfram and Hart is and always will be a place of evil and I am not evil."

"What makes you so sure?"

"What?"

"I asked, what makes you so sure?" The liaison quirked up a brow. "You're a demon, aren't demons inherently evil?"

"I'm only half, and not all demons are evil, that's just prejudice."

"You can spontaneously combust. Is fire not an element of destruction? Your body is adapted to the tearing and consumption of flesh- of many kinds. What makes you so positive you aren't evil, or perhaps destined to be evil?" Marcus turned on his heel, pointing to the ceiling as he looked at me from over his shoulder. "Think about it, Aud. You're a smart one, look at yourself and ask why you are the way that you are."

~

"Illyria's blown all her gaskets, man." Angel ranted as he entered the lab. "She's out of her mind."

"How can you tell? Yesterday she spent two hours mind-melding with a potted fern." Spike popped off from where he stood in front of a laptop.

"She thinks I'm trying to kill her."

"Aren't you?"

"Tell me you have something, Wes. Just _anything_."

"She is unstable." Wesley stated, clicking the clasps on the silver box he set on the table. "Overloading, to be more accurate." The human went over to where Spike was and the blond moved so that he could get to the laptop. "The fusion between her demon essence and her host body seems to be deteriorating. It's as if the human part of her can no longer contain the demonic power within." He pointed to the screen then moved to the lamp.

"We're thinkin' that she cracked her engine block, and now she's leakin' petrol all over the building."

"She's gonna self destruct." I stated.

"Violently and soon." Wesley added.

"And you were going to tell me this when?"

"I wasn't. Spike, Aud, and I were dealing with it."

"We're motivated go-getters."

"The good news is the crack in her engine block may give us a chance to get to her." The ex-Watcher was now back to the silver box as he pulled something out that looked like a futuristic gun. "This is a Mutari generator. It creates a pinhole to an intinite extra-dimensional space. A negatively charged pocket universe that should draw her radiant essence- her power, into itself by process of-"

"Wes?" Angel cut the human off. "Will it kill her?"

"Yes. Should we go?" Wesley glanced to Spike and the blond carried over the laptop.

"We have to find out where she, uh-"

"Oh, here." Spike turned the laptop around while setting it down on the silver box. "Training room, looks like." He rested a fist on his hip while the other hand was on the table and Angel furrowed his brows at the beeping screen. "Gushing petrol like a geyser."

~

"So what sort of damage are we lookin' at if Illyria Chernobyls on us?"

"Conservative guess, several city blocks."

"And what about unconservative?" Angel asked as we were quickly heading down the hall to the training room.

"Rand and McNally will have to redraw their maps." Wesley replied as Angel turned to Lorne standing outside the training room.

"She in there?"

"Do you even know how to use this thing?" Lorne waved a walkie-talkie as we walked right past him and into the room Illyria stood in. Or....was supposed to be standing in. "Well, that's funny, I didn't see her leave."

"Well, that's the problem. You don't always see her when-" Spike was cut off as he suddenly turned to dust.

"Illyria!" Wesley screamed and all I saw was red as the room was engulfed in flames.

.

.

.

.

"So what sort of damage are we lookin' at if Illyria Cherynobyls us?"

"Conservative guess, several city blocks." Wesley stopped walking as Angel suddenly bent over and grunted while holding his head. The brunette vampire looked up with confusion clear on his face.

"Wes, you're alive." He stated and I quirked up a brow at him. "Illyria, she's self-destructing. She's a time-bomb."

"Read today's paper, did you?" Spike popped off.

"What?"

"You've been yappin' about bloody nothin' but that for the last 10 minutes."

"No, no. I just left a meeting with Illyria. She grabbed me and we phased through time. I don't think she meant to do it. Look, she's overloading. She's gonna explode." Angel spoke quickly and oddly the scent of panic rolled off of the vampire so strongly that even I could smell it so clearly.

"Yes, we know. Angel, we've been through over all this."

"Do you even know how to use this thing?" Lorne asked while waving a walkie-talkie at the brunette vampire as we walked right past him and into the training room.

"She's come unstuck in time, Wes." Angel continued. "She knows what happens. She's seen it. She-she knows we want to kill her."

"Yeah, she said that to me as well." Wesley replied and Angel's face fell as he looked around.

"Oh....guys.... This isn't good."

"That's funny. I didn't even see her leave."

"Well, that's the problem." Spike said and Angel paused before mumbling.

" _'Slew the white-haired one first.'_ "

"Don't always see her when she's bugger-" The blond was cut off as Angel pushed Spike and I to the floor just before Illyria appeared and had a stake shoved into Angel's chest.

"Agh! God! Wait. Wait!" He groaned while stumbling back. "Illyria, wait, please." My eyes went wide in shock- if Angel hadn't have pushed us, either Spike or I would be dead now. How....how had he known? "Wes, put that thing down." The stake clattered to the floor and Spike was already on his feet, ready to fight. "Spike, nobody move."

"This too. All changing." Illyria looked lost before groaning in pain.

"I know what happens. I know you kill us all."

"Oh, a bit pessimistic, aren't you?"

"And then you shudder and you convulse with pain- and then the power inside you explodes."

"You are the Angel from the past. You were swept up in my wake."

"You're not a king anymore. Your domain is gone, swallowed by time."

"We've had this conversation."

"You explode. I was there. It was powerful enough to blow me back through time. I have no idea what it does to the building."

"More like the continental shelf, actually." Wesley piped up.

"I have to stop that. Do you understand?" Angel pointed. "I cannot have your death blow away my-"

"Your kingdom?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

"You ask me to allow you to murder me?"

"It's not murder if you say yes." Spike popped off.

"No one is murdering you. This device won't kill you."

"What? You said-"

"I lied." The human told the truth this time to Angel. "Illyria, this device will draw the energy away from you safely. It will allow you to live."

"Your intent is not murder?"

"It never was."

"No harm, no foul." Lorne uneasily shifted on his feet.

"But you tried to destroy me. To bring back Fred."

"That didn't work. It was a failure. But now I know....you're all that's left."

"You want to take my power. To let me live. But I _am_ my power. And I would rather be a titanic crater than to be like unto you." Illyria kicked Wesley, sending him flying back into Angel. Spike was the first to move, spinning and kicking Illyria right in the face, drawing her attention to himself. "I kill you. That's how this ends. Once you're dust, your mate will burn the rest in her rage." She took a step forward but soon found herself flying across the room after I hit her.

"Gettin' ahead of ourselves a bit." Spike said from behind me as my hair burst into flames and I flexed my claws. She waved her hand to slow time, forcing me to push myself like before to keep up. My paws ripped through my shoes and I ran at her as she ran at me, snarling just as fiercely with Fred's face.

We both swung, and time seemed to catch back up to us when my fist collided with her jaw as hers did mine. The both of us fell back from the impact of each others hits, and Angel was quick to take a stand.

"Illyria, the future can change here. You can choose a different path."

"And be nothing." She spat, getting to her feet with aid of the wall.

"And be what you are." Angel cautiously raised a hand and she doubled over while panting. "Fighting to hold on to what you were, it's destroying you."

"You would do this to me?"

"I'd try, anyway. Every time." Wesley stated.

"I possess so much grace. More grace than this bag of sticks could express. I was the immaculate embodiment of rule." She grunted and cracks that glowed appeared on her face. We were running out of time. "I blame this on the weakness of your species."

"Fair enough." Wesley aimed the Mutari generator and fired as more cracks appeared until they began to fade and Illyria fell to the floor. "Illyria?"

"Touch me and die, vermin."

"Not a very dramatic difference, really." The blond shifted on his feet.

"Everything is different."

~

Stepping out of the shower, my head was swimming from the recent events and I grabbed my towel from the nail partially sticking out of the wall. Drying my hair off, I went towards the mirror and wiped the condensation from the reflective surface. My human face looked back at me and I paused.

_'You're a smart one, look at yourself and ask why you are the way that you are.'_

Dropping the damp towel to the floor, I leaned onto the counter and clenched my jaw as my true form showed. My feral eyes with black scleras and slit pupils darted over my reflection, seeing the markings and blackened skin in certain places that faded and gave way to ivory skin in others. The snow white hair on my head and striped tail, the deadly claws on each finger and toe, the digitigrade legs that ended in paws.

There was no questioning my demon origins, but if one was none the wiser, my human blood could not be seen. My teeth could shred through anything I bit- nothing about me was meant for something docile. I was a predator, through and through.

_'Once you're dust, your mate will burn the rest in her rage.'_

My eyes locked onto the ones in the mirror. Illyria had been in a time-loop, bouncing around in certain places of her own timeline over and over again for who knows how long, and she knew....she knew with such certainty that the one to kill first among us was Spike. How many times had she gone through killing us to learn Spike was best to kill first?

_'....your mate will burn the rest in her rage.'_

....That can't be right. There's no way that could be right. There'd be no way I'd risk killing the others. I knew how dangerous I was, even if Spike had- ....Even if....

The sound of glass shattering filled my ears as my fist collided with the mirror, sending shards raining down into the sink and onto the counter and floor.

Yes, I would. If he was taken from me so suddenly with me right next to him, I'd lose control to rage and grief. I knew how strong Illyria was- I would attack her ferally and with all that I had. My knees buckled and I fell to the floor, quickly finding myself sobbing as my shoulders shook and my claws dug into the countertop.

No matter how hard I tried, it seemed my true nature was always revealed in such dire times.

_'What makes you so sure?'_

Nothing did. I could lie to myself, tell myself about all the good that I have done, all the people I've helped, but if you got right down to it....I was still a demon. I was still a monster. I was a beast of destruction and chaos and it's what I was best at doing. Whenever I helped people- even Buffy- it was always by fighting and killing. Burn that, kill this, rip it all to shreds. My only saving grace thus far was that my violence was always aimed at other demons.

I was only delaying the inevitable- my entire life was me struggling and fighting the darkness threatening to drag me under and consume me whole, but that darkness wouldn't have been there to begin with if I were truly good. No part of me brought good- Things I could heal? Demons. Gods. Primordial beings. The things I could enhance? The same and magic.

As it was constantly repeated, the only reason my kind are so rare is due to these properties, their bodies torn apart and used by those that wanted to become even stronger out of greed. I, myself, have been bathed in blood on more than one occasion, never it being my own. I've held still-beating hearts, tore heads from bodies with my bare hands, ripped out throats with my teeth-

How in the world did I manage to elude myself into believing I was good?


	110. Goes red again

"Aud, what the bloody Hell happened in here?" I heard Spike question as the bathroom light flicked on. I didn't say anything, didn't even move from where I was buried underneath the blankets. "Aud?" There was uncertainty in his voice and I clenched my jaw.

I felt a weight on the bed and the blankets were gently pulled back. My eyes remained locked on the wall straight ahead, not giving any indication that I was aware of Spike's questioning gaze.

"Love, what happened?" His tone was soft and I curled up even more, my tail wrapping around my body as I hugged myself tighter. "Come on, now. I didn't do anything, did I?" I still didn't say anything as the vampire looked down at me. "Love, if it's the dishes I'll do 'em, just talk to me." His fingers brushed my cheek, moving my hair away from my face and behind my ear. "Oh, no, it's not the dishes, is it?" Spike sighed through his nose and he knelt down next to the bed in front of me.

"Aud, look at me, Love." Swallowing, I focused my gaze onto the bleach blond and he ran his hand through my hair in a comforting manner. "I know that look. Well, it's not like our day's been the best, huh?" Spike grabbed my wrist and pulled me off of the bed, turning while dragging me into his lap on the floor as he leaned against the bed and held me. I couldn't help it and started sniffling, fighting the tears welling in my eyes as the vampire cradled me to his chest.

"You're not evil, darling."

"Yes I am."

" _No_ you're not."

"How would you know?" I snapped at him and he shrugged.

"Well, you're too nice, for one thing. To other people, I mean."

"So?"

"So how can you be evil if you're nice?"

"How can the duality of mankind exist?" I popped off and he went quiet, trying to think of a response.

"Okay, you got me there, but you're not evil, Aud. You never were and you never will be."

"I already am."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Look at me." I opened my palms, staring at my black hands and daunting claws through the darkness in the room. "I may not be of this world, but I am still of evil. I'm good at nothing but breaking and burning things. I taste blood and flesh of other demons, I choke on the scent of burnt corpses and ash. I tear apart living things with these hands, William. I _am_ evil. The darkness is only waiting for an excuse to turn this violence from demons to the innocent."

"That's nonsense. Sure, you may fight in a rather....bloody manner, but that's only because you don't need a weapon."

"Because I am a weapon."

"No, Aud. You're a predator."

"A killer."

"Listen to me." His hold on me slightly tightened and I closed my hands. "You're a predator. What you have is natural- tools for hunting, surviving. Is a coyote evil for eatin' a chicken? No, it's not. It's the natural order. The only difference is you use what was given to you to fight. And what do you fight? Evil. You're good, love. Trust me."

"I'm a monster."

"Yeah, well, so am I, but that doesn't mean you're gonna go and start killing innocent people. Not all monsters are bad, pet. _I_ was evil- I'd know it if I saw it, and you ain't it. Far from it, in fact." His voice remained soft as he spoke, his chest vibrating beneath my cheek from the noise. "You know what the funny thing is? You always fear being bad, you close yourself off because you're scared to hurt those around you. Now, what evil bastard does that? Hell, you're even feeling _guilty_ for killing demons- most of which were about to kill you or someone else."

"William....I did kill innocent people."

"What?"

"Illyria....she said it. From all the time-loops she had to go through, I kept killing people in the end. People close to me."

"What in the world are you talking about?"

"That's why she aimed for you first. She kills you, then I snap and kill Wesley, Lorne, and Angel trying to kill her. Killing you saves her the trouble of having to kill the others because _I_ do it for her." I sniffed and Spike was quiet, processing my words since he hadn't already connected the dots from what Illyria had said earlier that day.

"Aud, you haven't killed any innocent people. You never killed any of them."

"Yes I did."

"Really? Then how are they alive right now?"

"By chance. Angel happened to be affected by Illyria's collapsing power and managed to stop her from killing you again by taking the hit. If that hadn't happened, I would have killed them. Again. And again. And again, and again until who knows when- until Illyria's power was too exhausted to keep the time-loop, if even then."

"We don't know what happened then, only the Bluebird and Angel saw any of that and that demon could have easily lied, you know. You wouldn't kill them- well, not Wes and Lorne, at least."

"Yes I would."

"No, you-"

"I would. I did. If Angel hadn't been able to interrupt it all, I would have. I was standing right next to you. If she killed you with me so close, if there was no way I could have stopped it despite being _right there_ , I would have exploded. I would have gone after her with everything- they wouldn't stand a chance. They aren't fire-proof."

"It would have been an accident then." Spike stated, but I didn't say anything and the vampire sighed. "Aud, I got a _soul_ for you. That's not an easy feat, you know. If you were evil, I wouldn't have had to- never would have crossed my mind to, if I were honest. I know how I was, how I thought. I'll admit it, I tried pulling you into the darkness with me, but every time you pushed me away, you fought it because it wasn't what you wanted. You loved the light too much- you still do. You don't like seeing the innocent in pain. If you weren't good even back then, neither of us would be right here right now. Lord knows where that would have lead. Us here, now, doing what we are doing, that's proof of your goodness. Just open your eyes to it."

I still didn't speak, but the blond shifted, making me sit up as he gently held my face to make me look at him.

"Aud....I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You think fire is for nothing but destruction, but you're wrong, love. Look throughout history, fire is of rebirth. It destroys so that something else can begin again. It is the ending _and_ the beginning of a cycle, and you don't just destroy. With these hands," He grabbed my hands and opened them with my palms facing up. "these very hands, you create beautiful things. You break and you build, and I'm the luckiest man to be able to see it all from so close." He smiled at me and his expression was just so genuine and full of _love_.

Burying my face into his shoulder, I hugged him, feeling his arms wrap around me to reciprocate.

"I love you....so much." My words came out muffled, but he understood them as he rubbed my back.

"I love you, too."

~

"Bugger that, do it yourself." Spike didn't even look up from the screen of the portable game in his hands.

"Spike, this is a delicate manner that needs to be handled with a lot of finesse." Gunn explained before turning to Angel. "And why the Hell are we talkin' to him?"

"Because he signed on to help."

"Not to be some glorified garbage collector." Spike glanced up after the sound of his defeat came from the little console.

"It's not garbage. It's a body. And there's a bloody gang war coming our way if we don't get it back."

"Stiff's that important?" The blond made a face and Gunn looked at him like he was an idiot.

"It's the remains of the capo di famiglia- of the Goran demon clan."

"Never heard of them. Aud, how the bloody Hell are you so good at this game too?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." I replied, hanging off of the couch upside-down while holding another portable console that was synced to Spike's so that we could PvP.

"That's 'cause the capo was human-tolerant. Kept a low profile. More interested in profit than mayhem."

"What happened to him?" Angel asked.

"Died on a business trip to Italy. We need to go there, retrieve his body, and return it to his family in the next- Ooo, 26 hours."

"Or what, he gets deader?"

"No, he _stays_ dead. They die, they pupate, they live again." Gunn gestured and I snorted.

"Pupate."

"But only if the proper rituals are performed by the immediate family. If the capo's body isn't returned in time, the rituals won't take. So long capo, hello power vacuum."

"Which the rival clans will try to fill."

"And they _aren't_ as tolerant of humans. If we do this, it all stays cool. If not...."

"We'll stick with 'do'." Angel pushed Spike's legs off of the arm of the chair he was seated in as the phone rang.

"Hey!"

"Pack your bags." The brunette snatched the game from the blond before going to his desk to grab the phone. Now that my opponent was taken away, I dropped the console I had and sat up right on the couch.

"I don't even speak the language!"

"We'll get you a book. Yeah?" Angel answered the phone and Spike turned to Gunn.

"How do you say 'wank off' in Italian?"

"Can somebody _please_ just get on a plane?" Gunn threw his hands up at his sides and I sighed.

"We'll do it." Standing up, I held my hand out for the file Gunn had.

"Thank you."

"Hey! Why you volunteerin' us?"

"Because I'm dragging you with me. Plus, it might be nice. Better than here, I think."

"....Good point."

"What?" We turned to look at Angel because of his tone. "When? Yeah, I understand. Thanks."

"All right, what is it this time?" Spike droned. "Ubervamps? Demon-gods? Devil-robots?"

"It's Buffy."

"What?!" I slammed my hands down onto the brunette's desk and he grabbed his coat.

"I'll take care of it."

"No, what is it?" I questioned and he headed for his office door.

"I said, I'll take care of it."

"Take care of what?" Gunn asked as we all followed Angel.

"Is she all right?"

"She will be when I get there."

"What happened?" Angel just scratched the back of his head and I raised my voice. "What happened, damn it?!"

"The Immortal."

"The _who_?" Gunn and I said in unison but Spike and Angel shared knowing looks.

"The foulest evil Hell ever vomited forth." Spike said and my eyes went wide.

"Worse than you?" Harmony popped off.

"He was spotted in Rome near Buffy's."

"Wait a minute. Rome. That's where the capo died."

"That's _definitely_ his M.O." Spike stated and I was already pushing the button for the elevator repeatedly in the hopes of speeding it up.

"The capo's?" Harmony made a face while rounding her desk.

"The Immortal. He whacks the capo, lures me to Rome. Takes our a Slayer and a vampire with a soul."

"Plus, he starts a war when the capo's body isn't returned for resurrection. This guy is good."

"So am I. Harmony, have the jet fueled, ready for takeoff." Angel said just as the elevator opened and I bounced inside, already pressing the floor number I needed.

"Do you really think we can take him?"

"Whoa. What do you mean 'we'?" Angel turned to Spike and the bleach blond only pointed to where I stood in the elevator as the doors were already closing. The brunette quickly stuck his hand between the doors to keep them open and sighed through his nose while looking down at me.

"You two will only make things worse."

"Oh. Look, we get the capo's body, we rescue Buffy, we stop the Immortal. Unless he kills you. Which would be sad." Spike waved his hand as he stepped into the elevator and the doors closed again.

"He's not gonna kill me."

"Not if we're with ya."

~

"Just admit it. You think you're gonna ride in, save the day and impress Buffy."

"Unlike you, Angel, I'm not an egotistical maniac and actually worry for Buffy's well-being rather than looking impressive." I popped off. "I think it's _you_ who want's to impress Buffy."

"I'm already seeing somebody."

"What, dog girl?" Spike questioned from his seat while raising his brows at the brunette.

"Nina's a werewolf. And I-"

"Fido know her boyfriend's flying halfway around the world to visit his ex?"

"Look, I was gonna call her, and we're just hanging out. She's not my girlfriend."

"This rate, never will be."

"Doesn't concern you, Spike."

"I just wanna see you happy. Well, not _too_ happy, 'cause then I'd have to stake ya." The blond paused, then smiled. "Second thought, have at it."

"This isn't about us."

"You and Nina?"

"No, _us_. This is a dangerous mission that's only gonna get worse if we don't put aside our differences. We have to work together on this to stop the Immortal and save Buffy." Angel sighed, leaning his head back onto the seat for a second before making a face. "And pick up that demon body thingy."

"Partners then?"

"Just like old times."

"How about you, love? Think you can play nice?" Spike tilted his head and I turned to look at Angel while narrowing my eyes.

"Maybe."

"....You want a drink?"

"God, yes." Spike answered and Angel crawled out of his seat to go find a horde of tiny bottles.

"Huh. Really can't get drunk off these things." The brunette was giving a thoughtful look to one of the empty bottles he now had.

"Not us, anyway. Vampire constitution. Not always a plus."

"How'd you know?"

"Drank a lot of them and I still don't like you." Angel automatically popped off before realizing what he said and looking at me. The blond gained a look of amusement as I glared.

"I meant about Buffy, you twit. How'd you know she was in trouble?"

"I got word."

"From who?"

"....A source."

"You've been spying on her?" Spike's eyebrows raised high on his forehead.

"I just wanted to make sure she was all right."

"Sending your lackeys to do your stalking for you. That is really pathetic."

"All right, fine. I'm not proud of it, but it's-it's Buffy."

"You better find a replacement for your spot in that office 'cause you're not gettin' off this plane." I growled, getting to my feet and advancing on Angel.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hold it- I only did it to-"

"Spy on her? Keep tabs on her? How long you been doin' it? _Creep_." Baring my teeth, the only thing keeping Angel from getting pummeled was Spike physically holding me back.

"Look, Aud, if he hadn't have done it we wouldn't even know Buffy was in danger. At least this way we have a head start." The blond reasoned with me, making me sit back down as my tail twitched.

"We'll be landing soon." Angel sighed, leaning back in his seat while glancing out the window by his side. "You remember the last time we were in Italy?"

"Like it were yesterday. Back in the 50's. Everybody was just sayin' 'ciao'."

"Wait a minutes. I wasn't in Italy in the '50's."

"Oh, right. Guess you weren't. Really missed out."

"Guess so. Sounds a lot better than I remember it."

"1894?"

"The room of pain."

"The who do what now?"

"The room of pain. The Immortal managed to capture us and while we were locked up, he....well, he went after Darla and Drusilla." Angel explained.

~

"Let me handle this." Angel said after knocking on the door.

"Sure thing, macho man." I huffed just before the door opened and Andrew appeared, clearly in his pajamas and with messy hair. The human lit up with a smile, holding his hands over his heart.

"Spike? Aud? Oh, mio Dio." He then suddenly grabbed the blond and I in a hug while going on in Italian before letting us go. "What are you doing here?"

"About to ask you the same question, Andrew." Angel crossed his arms and the human bounced on his feet.

"Buffy and Dawn are letting me crash. My casa was incinerated when that thing happened."

"What thing?"

"Cultural misunderstanding." Andrew nervously chuckled. "Let us speak of more pleasant times." He said something else in Italian before translating into English. "I part my threshold. I mean, my apartment obviously." He let us into the apartment before closing the door behind us. "So, um, I had plans later this evening but I could change them if you guys wanna hang. I could show you Rome at night. A city of contrasts. Anywhere you wanna go. Anything you wanna see." Andrew did a quick 'clean-up' as we looked around the room.

"Buffy." Angel and I said at the same time and Andrew put his hands onto his hips.

"Right. She's not here."

"Where'd she go?"

"To meet the Immortal."

"By herself?!" I grabbed Andrew by the front of his robe that was surprisingly soft.

"I told you I had plans." The human made a face and Angel spoke up behind me.

"When did she leave?"

"Just missed her."

"Then we're not too late." I let Andrew go and turned to the two vampires.

"Course, it could be worse."

"You're telling me. Most nights, they never leave the house. Just curl up on the couch and snuggle." Andrew plopped down onto the couch and we paused.

"They're...."

"Snuggling?"

"For starters. Wait. Uh, you didn't know they were....together?"

"It's worse." Angel stated and I threw up my hands.

"What is with Buffy's taste in men?!"

"You don't really have room to talk, Aud."

"Hey!" Spike looked at Angel like he was offended.

"You leave them alone." Andrew spoke up, placing the pillow he had been holding onto the other side of the couch.

~

"The Immortal?! I mean, come on!" I rose my voice and Spike just pat my shoulder. "She's smarter than that!"

"She'd never fall for a centuries-old guy with a dark past who may or may not be evil." Angel leaned on the table in front of him and I just gave him a look. "She's under some kind of spell."

"We're gonna pick up the capo's body, find the Immortal and break his whammy." I pointed just before a short, stout demon came hobbling up with a cane in one hand and a bag like for a bowling ball in the other.

"Grazie, Signor Angelo. We are in your debt for attending to a delicate matter." She set the bag down in front of Angel. "Grazie. Grazie."

"Um, this is the, uh, capo di famiglia of the Goran demon clan?"

"Si, si. The capo di famiglia."

"Must have been a wee fella." Spike leaned over Angel as he checked the bag.

"This is just his head."

"Si, si. The head of capo di famiglia."

"What happened to the rest of him?"

"When a Goran demon becomes heavy with age his head sag and drop off like a ripe fig."

"So a new body just hatches out of this?"

"If the rituals are performed by the family in time." She nodded. "You must take the head of the capo to Los Angeles subito, eh? Si?"

"Si! Subito." Angel closed the bag and we headed back to the apartment.

"Is Buffy home yet?"

"You guys, it's only 8:30." Andrew had a phone next to his ear and some weird patch across his nose.

"Right."

"Yeah."

"Do you know where they went?"

~

It was so loud between the people and the music in the dark building. Colorful lights danced over the room as bodies were bouncing the the beat blasting from speakers all over the place.

"Dancing. Why'd it have to be dancing?" Angel complained as we made our way to the bar.

"You speak English, love?"

"Si, si. I love the English." The woman behind the bar grinned.

"We'll get along fine then."

"We're looking for a girl." I stated, placing my hands onto the polished counter. "American. Blonde hair, blue eyes, about yea big?"

"Many blonde American coeducationals. Spring break. The girls, they go wild." She winked while pouring a drink and Angel placed the bag onto the bar while leaning onto it.

"No, no. We're looking for a friend of ours." Angel clarified.

"She's in trouble. This, uh, ponce called the Immortal."

"Ah, si, si. The Immortal's new regala. They come while ago. There. Your friend maybe go a little wild too. Si?" The bartender pointed out Buffy and I pat Angel's chest.

"Hold the fort, big guy. I'll be right back."

"Oh, no, you are not leaving just like that." Angel scoffed and was following me through the crowd.

"Oh, really? Watch me." And I ducked down under someone's arm, easily losing the tall vampire in the crowd as I made my way towards Buffy. I quickly made my way towards her, but just before I reached her, I heard a commotion and turned to see a fight breaking out. Spike and Angel were dead in the middle of it all, throwing their opponents around. "Are you fuckin' serious?" I huffed, looking between them and Buffy and back. At least they weren't fighting each other, right? They could handle themselves.

_'Aaand now they're punching each other.'_ Rolling my eyes and groaning, I went through the crowd to get to the two idiots.

Pulling them apart just after they punched each other at the same time, Angel yelled at Spike.

"What the Hell are you doing?"

"I was confused, you git! It's very loud in here."

"Where's the head?" I questioned and they looked around. "You lost the head?!"

"In our defense, it was stolen."

"By who?" I growled and Spike pointed towards the door.

"Him." Looking, I saw the demon giving a hand gesture that I had a feeling was not a very nice one. Chasing him outside, we stopped in the empty street, looking down each branching off road. "Where'd he go?" And Spike was answered as a car came screeching by and nearly ran us over.

"Hey! That's our car!" Angel yelled. "He's got our car!" Pulling off my shoes, I quickly tied them together and tossed them to the blond after he had hot-wired a Vespa. He caught them and hung them over the rearview mirrors.

"Hop on, little mama."

"I'm not riding on the back." Angel waved his hand and I started running after the car. It was late at night, so I highly doubted anyone would notice me having paws....

"Oh, you really gonna make Aud do all the work, huh?" Spike asked before I was already out of view. I could hear the car screeching around the sharp corners and could smell the exhaust as I ran. As the sound got louder and the smell got stronger I could tell I was gaining on the car until it suddenly came into view and I crashed into the trunk as it was quickly backing up.

My claws ruined the bright red paintjob as I tried to keep myself from getting ran over, but the squealing vehicle had no mercy and I found myself under the car before it turned and was speeding off in another direction.

"God!" I heard Angel yelled as metal skidded across the brick road. "One job, you know? Hand on to the head. That's it."

"You were right there too."

"I wasn't in charge of the head!"

"Well, it's gone now, innit?! You gonna stand here in the strada, yellin' at me all night?"

"Did you just say strada?"

"It means _street_."

"Yeah, I know what it means." Angel snapped and I pushed myself up off of the ground. I took in a deep breath, my tail swaying as I put my hands onto my hips.

"You _idiots_!" I yelled, making the both of them jump and turned around. "I almost had him! I was right fuckin' there! We only have a few hours to get that head back before Los Angeles becomes a demon war zone!"

"Actually....it's, uh, 12 hours."

"If I were you, I'd shut up. Looks like she just got ran over." Spike said quietly to Angel.

"Oh, because I did. My face was temporarily a bumper sticker." I pointed to myself, smiling with sarcasm and a passive-aggressive attitude.

"If it makes you feel any better, we got ran over, too." Angel shrugged and Spike took a step back.

"I warned you."

"Makes me feel _so_ much better!" Picking up a piece of Vespa from the road, I chucked it at Angel.

"Hey!"

"You aren't ran over until you're underneath the God damn car!" I threw another piece of scrap and the brunette raised his arms to cover himself. "You ever seen the underside of a car after it knocks the wind out of you?! If I wasn't a demon I'd be dead or near to it right now!" I growled, and the last thing I threw stabbed Angel right in the shoulder.

"Ow! All right, already! Stop screwing around." He growled back, pulling the metal from his shoulder and tossing it to the ground. "We find the guy, get the head back, then we get the Hell our of here. That's it."

However, we were right back to the bartender and asking for Buffy again.

"Relax, relax. It's okay."

"They're still here?"

"Oh, no. They're gone. But you must relax. I pour you some wine." She pulled out some glasses but we walked away.

"He's got her. He's got Buffy. Why is this always happening?"

"It's him. The Immortal."

"You know, every time he shows up, I either lose my girl, get beaten by an angry mob, or get thrown in prison for tax evasion." Angel and I both looked at Spike and put his hands into his pockets. "Long story."

"Well, you know what? It's different now. We're just out of our element here. If this was L.A., we'd have him hog-tied by now. If we had our resources, our team, our helicopters, he'd be in a world of-"

"Hang on. Doesn't Wolfram and Hart have an office here in Rome?"

~

"Ciao! Benvenuto! Welcome. Spike." A woman suddenly grabbed the blond by his shoulders and kissed his cheeks. "You are the very meaning of handsome. You take my breath away." She waved her hands. "I have no breath." She then turned to Angel and grabbed him. "And you, what an honor! The great Angelus." She chuckled.

"Actually, it's just Angel."

"Ah, yes, of course. The Gypsies, they gave you your soul. The Gypsies are filthy people." She spit while waving her hands. "And we shall speak of them no more!" The woman gasped, seeing me next to Spike while I was glaring- I knew she was just being nice, but how she greeted Spike had me feeling territorial. "Oh, and Aud! Such beauty, such radiance." Her hands landed on my shoulders and I just stood there as she pecked my cheeks. "I'm delighted to meet you. I am Ilona Costa Bianchi. I am the C.E.O. of the Roman offices of Wolfram and Hart. And please, we are at your disposal. Whatever it is that you want, we give to you. If you want the world, we give you the world. We give two worlds, in fact, because this is our way." Wow, she really moved her hands a lot while talking.

"Okay."

"Good."

"Yeah."

"Now let's go into my offices and we talk like adults, eh? Come. Pietro." Ilona walked away before her secretary rushed around his desk.

"Si, signora?" They started talking in Italian and the three of us glanced at each other.

"Well....she seems nice." Spike mumbled and I let out a warning growl. "Ooh, looks like _someone's_ jealous."

"Shut up, Spike." Walking into the office, I saw the room was full of art, whereas Angel's office was full of weapons.

"Please, make yourselves as though you were at home." Ilona told us after her secretary lit her cigarette. "Your problems, they are no more. You have no more problems. What are your problems?"

"Our friend. Uh, sh-she's under some sort of Spell." Angel explained.

"Cast by the vilest wretch this side of Mount Everest- which I'm told he has climbed several times."

"He goes by the name of the Immortal."

"Ah, the Immortal. Ah. Then your friend is lucky." The woman went over to a table covered in fruits and plucked up some grapes. "I have had dealings with the Immortal many times and I must say that the outcome is always most satisfactory."

"He's got her trapped. It's a love spell. And we-"

"Doubtful. The Immortal doesn't use spells. He considers them dirty. Dirty tricks for dirty people. Like Gypsies." She spat again. "We will speak of them no more."

"Well, he's done _something_ magic to her. We need to do some research. Look, don't you guys have, like, an Italian Wesley here?"

"' _Italian Wesley'_?" I made a face at Angel.

"Yes, yes. We have. But he's taking a nap and I do not need him to tell me what is already widely known. That the Immortal does not use magic."

"Then it must be something else." I piped up and Angel shifted on his feet.

"Look, we need to know everything there is to know about him. We need-"

"To keep your head. Yes." She laughed. "We know all about your mission to retrieve the capo di famiglia. And I have to say, right now, it seems a bit more important than trying to pry your friend off of the Immortal. Your head is in great danger. We have also received a ransom note. It was addressed to you via our offices. I took the liberty of sneaking a peek. We must hurry because the drop is about to take place in less than one hour." She handed a piece of paper to Angel before going on.

"All right. We're gonna need a chase helicopter, an assault team, and guns. Lots and lots of guns."

"No, no, no, no." She grabbed Angel's cheek. "No, no. You are so precious, but no. This is a civilized country. We do these things all the time. Somebody gets kidnapped. Somebody pays the money. Everybody goes home happy. Grazie. Prego. Kiss, kiss. We already have the money ready to go. Eh? Huh?" Ilona gestured to her secretary and he opened a briefcase full of cash. Angel and I looked at each other.

"All right, fine." He sighed. Whatever. We'll do it your way."

"Who's making the drop?"

~

"I helped save the world, you know?" Angel stated, standing there with his hands in his pockets.

"So have we."

"Yeah, but I've done it a lot more."

"Oh, please." I scoffed, crossing my arms while shiting on my paws.

"Closed the Hellmouth."

"I've done that." Spike popped off.

"You wore a necklace. You know, I helped kill the mayor, and, uh, Jasmine."

"Do those really count as saving the world?"

"I stopped Acathla. That saved the world."

"Buffy ran you through with a sword." I made a face and Angel scoffed.

"Yeah, but I made her do it. I signaled her with my eyes."

"She _killed_ you."

"I helped her. I guess that one counts as mine." Spike grinned, looking at Angel and I.

"Point is, I'm better than this, okay? We're better than this. What the Hell could Buffy see in him?"

"Perhaps she likes the cut of his trousers." A nasally voice spoke up from behind us and I turned to see a demon getting out of a tiny ass car. Groaning, I saw the bunch of other men in suits stepping out from the dark and circling us. "You must be so lonely. Your girlfriend has become lovers with the Immortal. How unfortunate for you. And how fortunate for her."

"You know the Immortal?"

"But, of course."

"I knew it." Angel scoffed.

"None of this is a coincidence. It's been his plan all along."

"Steal our head, keep us busy, and traipse off with my girl. Ow!" Angel hissed after I hit his shoulder.

"She's not your girl."

"Oh, is she yours then?" The demon with ears on his cheeks raised his brows at me.

"No, we're just friends. And you're just a lackey."

"I should be so lucky. The Immortal does not need a man like me to do his business. He is a wild card. A wolf removed from the pack. A stallion without, uh, the bridle."

"What, are you in love with him?" Spike questioned and the demon waved his hand.

"No, no, no, no. Well, yeah, okay. Yes. But, uh, if anything he's more of an inspiration. A spiritual guide. Have you read his book? It's a life-changer."

"I'm getting a little tired of Italy."

"Know what you mean." And we separated, fighting the goons surrounding us until my attention went to the weird demon holding a familiar bag. Stepping towards him, he suddenly tossed the bag and someone else caught it, starting a fucked up game of Monkey in the Middle. I was about to start a fire, but the head was tossed back to the demon and he held a gun to the bag.

"One more step and the head gets it, eh? We are not animals. We're Italiano. You give us the money, we give you the head." He said, but we didn't move, so he repeated. "You give us the money, we give you the head. The money, the head. The money-"

"Yeah, we get it. The money." Angel glared and I watched as Spike exchanged the briefcase for the bag.

"Arrivederci, Americanos. It was a pleasure to do business with you." He walked away and the men in suits followed.

"Something isn't right."

"This whole thing isn't right."

"No, I mean-" And I froze, hearing a soft beeping before I quickly snatched the bag from Spike and threw it.

"Aud, what the bloody-" The blond was cut off by the sound of an explosion and we were sent flying.

Groaning, I felt my shoulder pop back into place after I had hit a bike rack. Getting to my feet, I looked the the vampires and Spike was taking his coat off while grumbling.

"Civilized country- Look what that squeaker did to my jacket."

"After everything we've been through, you're pissed about a jacket." Angel said with irritation.

"Not _a_ jacket, _my_ jacket. You have no idea what I went through to get this."

"You stripped it off the body of a dead Slayer."

"Which gives it great sentimental value. Besides, I've been wearing it for over 30 years. It's like a part of me."

"Get over it. Buy a new one."

"It's my second skin. It's who I am! It's just one more thing he's taken away that I'll _never_ get back." Spike held up the jacket full of holes and burnt edges from the explosion. Without saying a word, I grabbed the both of them by the front of their hole-y shirts and started dragging them down the street.

I was in no mood to hear them bicker.

~

"Yeah. This is good." Spike nodded as Ilona straightened the new jacket the blond had on.

"I'm glad you like because I sent another 10 of them to Los Angeles for you along with a fine assortment of shoes."

"Great. Just what he needs. _More_ shoes."

"Oh, don't say it like that, half-pint. I just like to look good."

"I don't even have to look at you and I know you're smirking."

"Really, Aud, why don't you get changed out of those clothes? They are absolutely ruined and smell burnt- I can have anything you want to wear brought to you." Ilona said and I looked over my shoulder at her. I caught Spike giving me a thumbs up and I sighed.

"Fine."

"Wonderful! What would you like?"

"....Something comfortable."

"Perfect. We can do this." She snapped her fingers at her secretary and pointed to the door, signaling for him to go fetch some clothes. She turned as the sliding doors opened and gasped before speaking some Italian after seeing Angel. "You look gorgeous! Oh!"

"I'm not sure this is me." He said while looking at the bright jacket he wore.

"No, no, no, no, no. This is the latest style. You will define handsome for years to come. Now, what happened to the drop? No grazie, prego, kiss, kiss?"

"Grazie. Prego. Kaboom."

"Oh, they always do this to first-timers in this country. Did I not mention that?"

"You know what? That's it. Call up the helicopters." Angel unzipped the jacket. "And the assault team. We're getting our head back."

"No, no, no." Ilona raised her hands and the secretary returned with a bag and handed it to me. The woman kept talking and I went to the separate office area to change. Setting the bag onto the long table, I pulled out the dark clothes and undressed. Pulling the clean smelling shirt over my head, I had to admit it was comfortable. It was a baggy and dark grey shirt without any sleeves, and the pants looked like my other pairs of ripped jeans. There was also a black biker jacket and a pair of combat boots in the bag.

Well shit. They knew my style.

"Comfortable, yes?" Ilona asked as I stepped out, holding the bag that now had my old clothes in it.

"Very."

"Good, good. Spike and Angel are in the lobby. Oh, and don't worry about the capo's head, we'll take care of it, no problem."

"But-"

"No, no. Don't you worry about a thing. We say we will do it, it's done. Now, relax and go on." She smiled, opening the office door for me. Hesitating, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to let them handle our mission, but she wasn't lying in the least bit. Going to the lobby, I found the two vampires discussing what to do.

~

"Is Buffy back yet?"

"Sorry, not yet." Andrew raised his shoulders, standing there while looking and smelling fresh from a shower. "You guys can hang if you want. I'm just heading out." Entering the apartment, I sighed while stretching my arms. "Oh, hey, nice jacket."

"It's the latest style." Angel tilted his head.

"Andrew, has Buffy been acting....weird? Like the Immortal's got her under a spell or something?" I questioned and the human gained a thoughtful expression.

"Excellent question. No." He quickly turned and went into another room.

"Could it be mind control?" Angel called after him.

"Or hypnotism?"

"That _is_ mind control."

"There's a difference, and you clearly don't know it. A wonder that you're C.E.O." I popped off.

"Dude, seriously, I thought of all those things but, it turns out, Buffy fell for the Immortal on her own, and now she's happy, that's it."

"But she's not finished baking yet. I gotta wait till she's done baking."

" _What?_ "

"You know, till she finds herself. 'Cause that's the drill. Fine. I'm waiting patiently, and meanwhile, the Immortal's eatin' cookie dough!" The brunette ranted before sitting down and we just looked at him.

"Uh, Spike, is Angel crying?"

"No. Not yet."

"May wanna hold the waterworks, big guy. The Immortal's cool and all, but he ain't all that. He's got his flaws."

"Really? Wh-what are they?" Angel stood back up, and Andrew continued speaking from the other room.

"The point is, she's moving on. You should do the same. You might catch her one day. But you keep running in place, you're gonna find she's long gone. People change." Andrew then came back into view dressed in a formal suit with his hair slicked back. "You guys should try it some time."

"Wait, I have a question."

"Sure, what is it, Aud?"

"Do...." I shifted on my feet and crossed my arms. "Do they even miss me?"

"Oh, Aud." The human gave me a look while holding his heart. "They miss you so much. Everyone does. But Dawn said she's gonna smack you the next time you see her for running off like you did, and that tough cookie means business." Andrew stated before going to the door to answer the soft knocking. The door opened and he spoke Italian to the two nicely dressed women on the other side. The blonde was taller than him while the brunette was just a tad shorter, and from all the fine clothes they were wearing it was safe to assume the three of them were headed somewhere fancy.

"Ciao." Andrew bid us farewell before leaving with the women and closing the apartment door.

"....I need a nap."

~

"Gunn. We lost the head. Start preparing the troops for war."

"Head's in your office."

"....What?"

"It's on your desk."

"Well, that was fast." I mumbled and Angel went to check for himself. There was a little card attached to the bag with a red ribbon and the brunette pulled it out.

" _'With regards, the Immortal.'_ You know, I really hate that guy!" He tore up the card and threw it onto the desk.

"What's Buffy thinking?" I put my hands onto my hips and Angel raised his eyebrows.

"Honestly? She doesn't exactly have the best taste in men."

"Case in point." I gave Angel a look.

"Hey! I think I turned out okay. You know what, how about you, you overgrown lemur? You're so aggressive and destructive, why did Buffy ever become friends with you?"

"I wasn't the one living in alleys, rubbin' rat filth all over my face. You wanna point fingers, point 'em at yourself, _Angelus_." I bared my teeth and the brunette crossed his arms and sat on the edge of his desk.

"....Can't we just lock her away in a box where no one can ever touch her, you know, like we did with Pavayne?" Angel asked and I was gonna growl, but instead shifted on my feet.

"I don't think she'd let us. I mean, she's pretty strong."

"We could do a spell, some sort of mind control."

"I'm not doing that to my best friend."

"Best friend, is it? The way you're actin', you seem just as obsessed as Angel." Spike piped up while sitting on the arm of a chair.

"I'm not obsessed!"

"Neither am I. I'm just worried, okay? Buffy is....well, Buffy." I waved my hand. "And this Immortal guy- I don't like him."

"You don't even know him."

"Yeah, well, you do. Do _you_ like him?"

"Fuck no." Spike scoffed then made a face as I pointed at him. "That was a trap."


	111. Seeing red again

"Wesley! Wes! My man, how ya been?" I gave the ex-Watcher double finger guns and he just looked at me. "Oh, what up Angel? Why you lookin' like a sourpuss?" Angel, rather than answering, closed his office door and I turned to fully face the human. "So, Wes, Wesley, Wesloo, I can still smell booze on ya like a perfume. Come on, how about we go get some fresh air- been too long since we last hung out."

"Aud, what in God's name has gotten into you? You're practically vibrating." The brunette looked me over and I chuckled.

"I have no fuckin' clue but holy shit do I feel _great_." I glanced to the side and saw Spike and Illyria just standing there and I grinned. "Illyria! Still hauntin' the place? Better watch out for Pac-Man. Oh, up high!" Raising my hand, the blue eyed demon looked rather perturbed. "Ah, you probably don't know this one yet. Okay, so, ya just go like this." Grabbing her wrist, I raised her hand before smacking it with my other one. "And that's a high-five."

"How....how long has she been like this?"

"Last I checked, she was fine this morning...." Spinning on my heel I turned to the two males eyeing me and threw out my arms while grinning like an idiot.

"I don't know what it was, but I've been havin' an energy boost since a few hours ago."

"What were you doing then?"

"Nothing unusual. Just moochin' a snack off a demon."

"A...demon. You took food from a demon?"

"Don't worry, they work here. It wasn't, like, some rando off the streets. I always steal food from the workers here."

"Did you ever think what you ate might have caused your change in demeanor?"

"Now that you mention it, Wes, it very well could have."

"So what exactly _did_ you eat?" Spike rose a brow at me as I started bouncing on my feet.

"Uuh, they looked like blueberries only purple."

"Aud, do you ever realize that since your kind aren't from this dimension that some things here may affect you differently?" Wesley furrowed his eyebrows, his gaze following me as I moved in place.

"But I'm half human? And my metabolism and healing factor kind of, yanno, make it near impossible to kill me."

"Well, I doubt this was poison, love. You look juiced on caffeine or like you have severe ADH-"

"Harmony! Harm! What is _up?_ " The blonde vampire physically took a step back since I had suddenly landing on her desk. "Oh, you're gonna get in trouble. Angel has that No Human Blood policy."

"Oh, this isn't for me. Angel would _never_ let me have some, unlike his fancy-pants guest." She scoffed. "I actually work for him, and he treats a stranger better than me." Harmony waved her hand before going to her boss's office to deliver the mug. My tail swayed as I watched her leave, and then I noticed Wesley was now gone.

"Aud, how about you come with us? Inky and I are about to head out, find somethin' to hit." Spike gestured with his head to Illyria and I grinned.

"Yes. Brilliant idea."

~

"See? This isn't so bad now. Little field trip our in the- well, what passes in this city for fresh air." Spike said while looking around. "All we need now is to bag ourselves a Boretz demon....we got ourselves a perfect date."

"We're in an abandoned theme park hunting a demon that's killed three people, I don't think that's considered a 'date'." I popped off, crawling across the beams of the broken down ride just above the vampire and demon.

"Angel does not think the casualties of this creature are important enough to avenge."

"I think corporate living's made him lose his love for the hunt. No worries. More for me then."

"It does not serve his interest."

"What are you on about?"

"I've seen this before with many rulers. Your leader has been corrupted." Illyria stated and Spike stopped her.

"Hey. Hang on. In the first place, Angel's not my leader. And in the second, what the bloody Hell do you mean, 'corrupted'?"

"It always begins the same. A ruler turns a blind eye to the dealings or battles from which he cannot gain and a deaf ear to the counsel of those closest to him. As his strength increases, so does the separation between him and his follow-"

"Shhh." I cut Illyria off, putting a finger to her lips while I was hanging upside-down from my tail. "I smell something."

"The odors of everything in this world of men are equally repugnant to me."

"Bloody helpful." Spike mumbled. "And you're wrong about Angel. Not that I don't think the sod could end up being a megalomaniacal bastard, it's just if he did, I'd know it. I'd feel it."

"You'll have proof soon enough. A corrupted ruler on such a path sees treachery and betrayal all around him. He cannot suffer intimates. He will eventually turn against them."

"Guess I don't have to worry about that 'cause Angel and me have never been intimate. Except that one...." The blond trailed off and I dropped to the ground, landing on my feet before eyeing the vampire.

"Mark me. He will murder one of you."

"Actually....he already has." A weak voice spoke up and we turned to see a familiar face.

"Drogyn."

"Who is this?"

"The guardian of the Deeper Well. Greens-keeper of your graveyard, so to speak."

"My jailer." Illyria tilted her head at the clearly injured man.

"Illyria."

"Boretz."

"Boretz? I thought he was Drog-" I was cut off as a demon came from above, tackling Spike to the ground. "Oh! Boretz!" The blond kicked the bigger demon off of him and quickly got to his feet. Swinging a fist, the vampire went to punch the demon, but it countered and sent him flying into a fuse box, causing sparks to rain down.

Running to the demon, it's attention shifted away from Spike as he was getting back up.

"Stay away from its mouth. Its bite is poisonous." He yelled. "Go for its knees. I think there's-" Illyria and I simultaneously punched the Boretz demon and it went out of sight, crashing into a pile of rubbish and wood. "a weak spot. Okay. Yeah. That might do it. Drogyn. What the Hell are you doin' here? Oh, don't give me your 'Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies' bugaboo."

"I came to find you two."

"Oh, so you tacked up a sign on your tree, waved bye to the Keeblers, hopped the puddle and managed to sniff us out in a city of ten million?"

"I can find anyone who's visited the well be they in this world or any other." Drogyn grunted, struggling to stand. "I came to-to warn you."

"Warn me?"

"Probably about what kicked his ass." Tapping my chin, my tail wiggled as I looked the male over.

"You're all torn up, mate. What did this to you? The Boretz, was it?" Spike questioned, catching Drogyn as he finally lost his balance.

"No. It was Angel." He gasped and my tail drooped at the news.

~

"It was a Sathari- part of a clan of demon assassins. They fell upon me last night." Drogyn explained as I was taping the bandage onto his shoulder. It seemed whatever had been in my system before was now gone after running around Funville after the Boretz demon. "The poison from his four blades wearing heavy on my limbs-"

"Yeah. Rousing bit of rah-rah, mate. Get to the goods." Spike popped off from the arm of the couch and Drogyn glanced at him before turning back to the others in the apartment.

"Once I bested him....I tortured the Sathari for hours until he confessed who had sent him. It was Angel."

"Tell 'em why."

"He said Angel was afraid I'd find something in the Deeper Well- something that would uncover the truth about his involvement."

"In what?" Gunn crossed his arms and I packed up the first-aid kit.

"Helping Illyria escape from her tomb."

"I thought her release from the Deeper Well was predestined."

"Yeah. What about that bit?"

"That's what I thought at the time but now I believe Illyria's resurrection may have been planned."

"By Angel."

"Oh, that doesn't make a lick of sense." Lorne said. "Why would Angel want to spring and Old One?"

"I don't think that was the point."

"Then what was?"

"Before he died, the assassin said something about a sacrifice. Someone....trusted and dear."

"Are you saying that Angel was responsible for what happened to Fred?"

"I mean, he may not have chosen her specifically, but-"

"Whoa!" Lorne cut Drogyn off by raising his voice. "Let's put a kibosh on that sentence before it turns into an ass-kickin'."

"Do you think I gain pleasure in this? I held Angel an ally, a brother."

"And you believe he may have murdered Fred."

"I know this is difficult for you, but Angel was involved. The information retrieved from the assassin-"

"You ever think he was lyin'?"

"No one lies when they're at the mercy of my wrath."

"Then _you're_ the liar, Aaragorn."

"He has to tell the truth." I stated.

"It's a curse or something." Spike added.

"How can we be sure? We don't know this guy."

"Gunn, this is Drogyn the Battlebrand- given eternal youth a thousand years ago. Demon bane, truth-sayer.... Watcher's Council." Wesley got a look from Drogyn and had to explain how he knew him.

"Percy did a paper. Bully for him." Spike waved his hand.

"Drogyn, any idea what this symbol means?" Wesley pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. Large and in Sharpie was a circle with spikes on the outer side all curved to the right.

"No."

"Where'd you get that?" The blond grabbed the paper while standing up.

"This afternoon, someone tapped into the template interface- sent a message to me, and that symbol. Somebody's dropping clues." The ex-Watcher replied as we moved to the small dining area, leaving Drogyn on the couch.

"Playing games is more like it."

"Put me on the short bus, but I still can't wrap my head around the notion that Angel had anything to do with Fred, or any of this." Lorne raised his head to look at us.

"Angel's been doing a number of things out of character lately. We all noticed."

"Yeah, but why is this happening now? Why the change?"

"Yes. Why the sudden need to tie up loose ends like Drogyn? Unless-"

"He's preparing to make his move." I looked over my shoulder at Illyria since she had said the same thing at the same time. There was a quiet pause until Gunn broke it.

"What kind of move are we talkin' about?

"There's only one way to find out. We ask him." Wesley turned and went for the door before pausing in front of the couch. "Drogyn should stay here, under guard."

"I'm not missing the fireworks." Spike stated before turning to me. I only gave him a look and his gaze then shifted to Illyria. "Hey, Illyria. You don't care about any of this nonsense, do you?"

"The intricacies of your fates are meaningless."

"Well and good. You mind watchin' over our friend Drogyn? Aw, come on. New place will do you good. It's nice and cozy. Help yourself to some beer in the fridge, cabinets are full of snacks. Switch on the telly if you get bored, and, uh, feel free to play a little Crash Bandicoot. Give you lot something to pass the time." Spike handed the demon one of the X-box controllers before leaving. Narrowing my eyes as I looked at the two still in the apartment, I grabbed the doorknob before gesturing with my fingers that I was watching them.

"Don't fuck up our apartment." And I closed the door.

~

"Angel." Wesley called out, catching the brunette just after he handed some papers to Harmony.

"Long dinner?"

"We need to talk to you. Now."

"Boy's dead serious." Gunn added before we all went to Angel's office.

"Okay, what's on your minds?"

"The question is, what's on yours?" Lorne crossed his arms.

"Our friend Drogyn's in town."

"Is he?" Angel quirked up a brow and had his hands in his pockets.

"Yep. Bit marked up though. Someone tried to have him killed. Know anything about that?" Spike questioned as the brunette walked right past him to look out of the windows.

"Of course not. Where is he?"

"He's safe."

"Good. Now, can we get back to business? Or was there something else?"

"'Business.' What 'business' are we in, Angel?" Wesley put his hands onto his hips while shifting on his feet.

"Do I really have to explain this to you people? We're in the business of business. Oil, software, Worldwide Wickets- The product doesn't matter. It's the game that matters. Get to the top, be the best, have the most, win."

"Win _what_?"

"You're still missing the point."

"That Angel talkin'? 'Cause it sounds a lot more like Angelus." Gunn piped up.

"Oh, if I were Angelus, half of you would already be dead, just for the fun of it." The brunette strolled over to his desk, leaning onto the back of his chair.

"One of us already is. We havin' fun yet?" Spike's tone dropped.

"You wanna know the truth? The truth is there's only one of us who ever understood how things really work. Lorne."

"Whoa. H-hey. Can I not be the poster child for your nervous breakdown here?"

"You didn't judge. You didn't spend your life obsessed with good and evil. You do that, you get swallowed- lost in the minutae. Good, bad, Angel, Angelus- None of it makes a difference. I wish it did, but....you know, an ant with the best intentions or the most diabolical schemes is just exactly an ant. And there is one thing in this business- in this apocalypse that we call a world- that matters; power. Power tips the scale. Power sets the course. And until I have _real_ power- _global_ power- I have nothing. I accomplish nothing."

"And how you get this power-"

"Isn't pretty. Isn't fun. You think it's Wolfram and Hart getting to me here and maybe you're right because they've shown us what power is. From day one, they've been callin' the shots and all we've done is get shot at. I have a chance to change that."

"And will ya? I mean, not to play an old song, but power does traditionally corrupt. I mean, you get high up enough, and well, the people, they do start to look like ants." Lorne gestured and Angel looked at him.

"I can't worry about that. The small stuff."

"Angel? That important phone call from that guy about that thing- It's on line three." Harmony sounded nervous as she popped into the office.

"We're done here. I have to take this." Angel went to the door and Harmony returned to her desk.

"Yeah. _'That guy about the thing.'_ " Spike popped off as we were exiting the office.

"The 'small stuff' that you can't worry about?" Wesley turned. "Would that include Fred?"

"I loved Fred."

"That's not an answer." I crossed my arms.

"Then I guess you don't get one." And Angel shut the doors.

~

"Open the door." I called out and it was Gunn that did so. Tossing in what I had been dragging down the hall, Lindsey hit the wall a couple of yards away before laughing.

"I didn't know you played fetch." The human then turned to the others in the room. "You boys look like you could use a hug." He raised his arms as much as the chains would allow him.

"Did you have to be so gentle with him, love?"Spike questioned, pulling Lindsey to his feet.

"I thought about bringing him in unconscious since he wouldn't shut up, but we kinda need him awake."

"So what are you gonna do? You gonna beat it out of me?"

"If you say so." Spike smirked and Lindsey squared up to the vampire before the blond shoved him into a chair.

"We all know how this goes." Gunn began, pulling Spike back. "You get beat to a bloody pulp, you beg for mercy, and we get what we came for."

"Who needs all that rigamarole?" Lorne asked, leaning on the table.

"I told you. I don't know why Angel gave up that kid. Or anything else. Me and him? Not too close. Now can I get back to my game of Solitaire?" Lindsey shifted in his seat before Wesley quietly showed him the symbol on the paper he had shown us earlier. "Where'd you get that?" My ear twitched and I grabbed a chair, dragging it over to Lindsey and facing it away from him so that I could rest my arms onto the back.

"From the sound of it, you're familiar with it."

"What does it mean?" Wesley dropped the file the paper was in onto the table.

"Is that what this is all about?" The long haired male chuckled. "All these questions about Angel?" He paused, looking at the paper and shaking his head. "No. Now way. No way they'd take Angel."

"Who 'they'?" Lindsey didn't answer at first, but looked at me before speaking.

"Circle of the Black Thorn."

"Sounds like a sewing club for pirates." Lorne popped off.

"It's a secret society."

"Never heard of 'em."

"That's 'cause they're _secret_." Lindsey looked at Gunn like he was stupid.

"There's plenty of these cabals about. Usually spend a lot of time in basements paddling one another's bums to pove their manhood."

"They're not frat boys, Spike. Circle's small. It's elite. They got connections you boys can't even comprehend."

"They're evil."

"Sure. But evil's not the point. Power is."

"Power."

"Okay, we get it. They're badass. What do they do?"

"Jeez." Lindsey chuckled. "You guys always this slow? Huh? Starts with 'A'? Ends in 'pocalypse'? It's a well-oiled machine, this circle. These people grease the wheels, keep the parts in place- make sure man's inhumanity to man keeps rollin' along."

"I thought the senior partners were responsible for the apocalypse."

"Senior partners are on a different plane. Down here, it's the players in the circle that make things happen. Hell, you-you get tapped by one of them, that's kinda like gettin' the keys to the chocolate factory."

"He's not lying." My tail twitched and Lindsey smirked.

"That's why you came back to L.A., tried to kill Angel to get into the circle." Wesley took a seat at the table and the human in cuffs glanced at him.

"To be a Black Thorn is to be the senior partners' instrument on Earth. Doesn't get bigger than that."

"Looks like Angel succeeded where you failed."

"He doesn't have it in him."

"Doesn't have what in him?"

"Well, for starters, he's got to give up the champion angle- quit savin' girls in alleys. Probably wouldn't even make it on the circle's radar till he killed one of his lieutenants." Lindsey smiled and the rest of us exchanged looks.

"The senior partners, the circle- They're killing Angel by degrees." Lorne mumbled.

"And we all watched it happen."

"Guy I knew wouldn't want this- wouldn't wanna be this."

"Angel dedicated his live to helping others. Not because he had to, but because it was a path he had chosen. If he's been swayed from that- influenced- then maybe there's still time. We can bring him back. He'd do the same for any of us, regardless of our actions." Wesley stood with his hands on the table.

"Yeah, but what if he's skipped too far down that evil brick road?" Lorne questioned.

~

Gunn quickly slammed the door shut as soon as Angel entered his office and Spike knocked him down with a heavy blow to the face. Lorne and Wesley came out of hiding with a crossbow and gun respectively at the ready.

"Might wanna stay down."

"Or what?" Angel sat up and Spike took a cautionary step back. "Careful. Don't wanna get yourselves hurt." The brunette looked around after getting to his feet. "Where's your titan? You guys look ready to attack me and didn't even bother bringing Aud?"

"Actually, we did." Wesley's gaze drifted to me and Angel quickly looked over his shoulder just as I dropped down onto his desk from the ceiling. I wasn't taking any risks, so I was already in my full demon form, my tail swaying behind me as the vampire's expression went firm.

"We know whatchu been doin'." Gunn said while a raised sword. "Giving up the baby to the Fell Brethren, workin' for Senator Bitch- tryin' to take out Drogyn to cover up what you did to Fred. And for what? To get in bed with the Circle of the Black Thorn?"

"So you figured it out."

"Yeah, a little singin' from jailbird we know and loathe." Lorne replied.

"Lindsey. And you believed him?" Angel scoffed.

"Doesn't have a reason to lie."

"Doesn't need one."

"Are you forgetting with your old age, Angel?" I piped up from behind him. "Can't lie without me knowing."

"Well, unless the liar's a vampire." The brunette quirked up his eyebrows.

"That a confession?"

"What I do here is my business. You don't like how I conduct it, you can leave....before I kill you." Angel casually walked away from the desk and towards Wesley.

"Kill us? Hard to believe we're having trouble trusting you."

"Just telling it like it is."

"Then we have a problem." The ex-Watcher cocked his gun, still having it aimed right at the vampire.

"I guess we do." Angel suddenly grabbed the gun and jerked it, pulling Wesley forward and into a headlock. His mouth was close to the human's neck as he locked eyes with me, daring me to make a move. Baring my teeth, a growl rumbled deep in my chest like the thunder from an oncoming storm. "We done?"

"Let him go."

"You don't give the orders." Angel used his free hand to disarm Wesley of the handgun he had under his jacket and aimed it at Gunn and Lorne. "Toss 'em." They hesitated but did as they were told, and now that they were disarmed he tossed the handgun to the couch. "Now, let's finish this." Angel pulled out some sort of relic that glowed after he spoke. "Involvare." There was a flash of light but nothing happened and the vampire gently let go of Wesley. "All right. We have six minu-"

As soon as Wesley was out of the brunette's reach, I tackled him, pinning him to the floor as his head roughly hit the ground.

"Wait, I think he was sayin' something, love."

"A glamour." Angel grunted. "As far as anyone outside is concerned, we're still at each other's throats."

"Do you not realize the position you are in?" I snarled.

"We don't have a lot of time, so I'm gonna make this short. Everything you think you know, everything you've heard is a lie."

"Why should we believe you?" Gunn asked.

"Because I'm the one who told it. Read any good books lately, Wes?"

"You sent us the message?"

"And the assassin to kill Drogyn."

"So that part was true?"

"I knew Drogyn could handle himself. I told the assassin just enough to lead Drogyn to think I played a part in resurrecting Illyria. I figured he'd come here lookin' for allies against me."

"Why would you want us to believe you killed Fred?"

"Because _they_ needed to believe it."

"The Black Thorn."

"They needed to believe that my own people didn't trust me anymore. They needed to believe a person as good and as pure as Drogyn considered me an enemy. It was the only way to gain their confidence."

"Oh, so this whole Evil Angel thing's a big scamola." Lorne looked relieved. "Hm. I smell Oscar."

"When did this all start?" Spike asked, gently grabbing my arm to pry me off of Angel. I was still skeptical, but released the brunette.

"Two months ago, with a kiss. Though, it didn't hit me till later that night."

"Cordelia gave you her visions."

"One-shot deal. She put me on the path. Showed me where the _real_ powers are. But I couldn't see who they were." Angel pushed himself off of the ground and looked at us. "And then Fred died, and I wasn't going to let that be another random, horrible event in another random, horrible world. So I decided to us it to make her death matter. And it worked. I'm in. I've seen the faces of evil. I *know* who the real powers in the apocalypse are."

"So....all that 'power tilts the scales' crap-"

"It's true. We're in a machine. That machine's gonna be here long after our bodies are dust. The senior partners will always exist in one form or another because mankind is weak."

"Uh, should Aud hold him down again 'cause I think he's gonna start talkin' about ants again?" Lorne pointed.

"We are weak. The powerful control everything....except our will to choose. Look, Lindsey's a pathetic half-wit, but he was right about one thing. Heroes don't accept the way the world is. The senior partners may be eternal, but we can make their existence painful."

"You wanna take them on?" Wesley crossed his arms.

"We're in a machine. The Black Thorne runs it. We can bring their gears to a grinding hald, even if it's just for a moment."

"'Bout time we got our hands dirty." Spike smiled, placing his hands onto his hips.

"This isn't a 'keep fighting the good fight' kind of deal. Let's be clear. I'm talking about killing _every....single....member_ of Black Thorn. We don't walk away from that."

"Do we crawl away at least?" Lorne looked nervous.

"We do this, the senior partners will rain their full wwrath. They'll make an example of us. I'm talkin' full-on Hell, not the basic fire-and-brimstone kind we're used to."

"We know the drill."

"No, you don't." Angel turned to Gunn. "Ten to one, we're gone when the smoke clears. They will do _everything_ in their power to destroy us. So I need you to be sure. Power endures. We can't bring down the senior partners, but for one bright, shiny moment, we can show them that they don't own us. You need to decide for yourselves if that's worth dying for. I can't order you to do this. Can't do it without ya. So we'll vote." Angel put his hands onto his hips. "As a team. Think about what I'm asking you to do. Think about what I'm asking you to give."

"Kill 'em all. Burn the house down while we're still in it." Spike said lowly.

"Somethin' like that."

"I'm in." The blond scoffed, raising his hand.

"I'm in." Wesley also raised his hand, then Gunn, and even Lorne. They all turned to me and my tail twitched.

"What? You really have to ask? You weaklings can't do _shit_ without me." My reply at least got a soft laugh out of them.


	112. Seeing red again

"Then we're all agreed."

"Yeah. We're all one big happy Manson family." Spike sighed.

"We taking 'em all at once?"

"Can't. The Circle of the Black Thorn is the most powerful group in this plane of existence. Together, they'd vaporize us. But separated, they're just demons."

"When do we make our move?" Wesley walked towards Angel and the vampire looked at him.

"Soon. In the meantime, we keep up the infighting. The circle _needs_ to believe we're comin' apart at the seems."

"What about Illyria?"

"What about her?"

"Move like this, wouldn't hate having Blue Thunder in our corner."

"Can't trust she'll come down on our side."

"Oh trust me. She's housebroken. She was babysittin' Drogyn-"

"She was with Drogyn?" Angel's attention snapped to Lorne.

"Relax. The two of 'em were gettin' on well." Spike rolled his eyes.

"You have to get over there now."

"Why? What is it?"

"Drogyn's dead."

"And, uh, how do you know _that_ , Kreskin?"

"Because I killed him."

"What?! Ow! You son-of-a-" Angel suddenly punched Spike and the blond was quick to recover and swing back. The brunette diverted the hit just as the door opened and pushed the blond to the ground.

"Sorry. Didn't know you were in a conference." Marcus stood in the doorway

"I was just making a closing statement. Unless somebody didn't here me." There was a pause, but the others began to file out of the office. As I walked past Angel, I bared my teeth and gave a warning growl. "Down, girl. Don't make me bring out the newspaper."

~

"Illyria!" Wesley rushed to the fallen demon in the middle of the ruined living room.

"Bloody Hell."

"Illyria, can you hear me?" Wesley spoke gently, helping her sit up as her eyes slowly opened.

"Who did this to you?"

"It was Hamilton. Took Drogyn."

"This may be a little gross, but just bear with me here." I said before using my teeth to cut my palm. Pressing the wound to her lips, she seemed to already know what to do. At least she was familiar with Ustrina Augendae healing properties.

"Straight to his buddy, Angel. I'm telling you. Our fearless leader has fearlessly lost it. There's no part of this that makes any sense. I mean, we could be next." Lorne waved his hands.

"I don't think we're being monitored here."

"I'm not playing to the crowd, Gunn. I still don't trust the man."

"We don't have to trust him. We just gotta pray the Black Circle does."

~

"So what do we do if Hamilton decides to make another house call?" Spike asked, tossing me a chocolate bar since he was already in the kitchen.

"Hamilton did this?" Angel walked in without having to knock since the door had been basically turned into splinters.

"You didn't know?" Wesley furrowed his brows and I ripped open the candy wrapper.

"He brought Drogyn."

"To the circle, so you could kill him to prove you'd gone over."

"Yeah, say, any other tips on how to be a hero we could share with the boys and girls at home?" Lorne popped off.

"I didn't have a choice. They would have killed us both if-"

"We get it." I cut Angel off before taking a bite of chocolate.

"We'd just like to know if they're gonna need the rest of us as proof." Gunn stuffed his hands into his pockets, leaning onto the wall.

"Pick us off one by one, you know?"

"No, they won't. We're killing 'em all tonight. I want you all to do something for me, for yourselves. Take the day off."

"What?"

"Angel, if we're planning to assassinate the power elite of the apocalypse tonight, shouldn't we be cowboyin' up?"

"We'll be ready. But, today, I want you guys to go out. Live. Do whatever you want. Live the day like it's your last. 'Cause it probably is." Angel said softly and I let out a slow breath.

I couldn't tell which was worse- prepping for the war against the Turok Han in Sunnydale, or the apocalypse in L.A.

~

So, what does one do for a day knowing they very well may die the same night? Well....I can't speak for the others, but as soon as they left Spike and I went at it like bunnies for a few hours until I had to go for a little while and get something to eat. When I had left, the vampire was passed out, but when I returned he was gone and a note was left on the table saying that he'd be right back.

Sighing through my nose, I knew he was probably going to go do something stupid for a last hoo-rah. Tossing the note over my shoulder, I left the apartment once again to go and find the blond bastard and pull him out of whatever trouble he had gotten himself in. However, I hadn't expected to find myself in a bar not long after and see Spike up on the stage. He had a mic and was sitting on a stool, speaking softly as the crowd quietly listened.

"My soul is wrapped in harsh repose. Midnight descends in raven-colored clothes. But, soft. Behold. A sunlight beam cutting a swath of glimmering gleam. My heart expands. 'Tis grown a bulge in it. Inspired by your beauty- effulgent."

_**He was participating in a poetry slam.**_

Some of the crowd cheered and that seemed to make Spike's eyes light up. And I, of course, climbed onto the nearest table and whistled before clapping loudly. The bleached blond quickly spotted me, looking embarrassed at first but then got this huge grin on his face- He looked like he was glowing under that shitty spotlight.

Was this, perhaps, a bit of the human William coming through or had Spike dabbled in poetry after being turned? Either way, I hadn't a clue he wrote any until now. Why was he so embarrassed by it? I mean, yeah, sure, it kinda sucked, but it wasn't the worst and one could easily learn from constructive criticism.

Spike took a stand and went on to the next poem, basking in the applause he was receiving. I didn't even step down from the table until the blond got off of the stage.

"You call me your wife and you don't even tell me you do poetry?" I popped off, lightly pushing the vampire's arm as we now sat at the bar.

"Well, after becoming a vampire I didn't think it really suited me." Spike took a shot and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Your human life is one of the greatest mysteries in this world, it seems."

"Is it?"

"I'll have you know, the oldest records the Watcher's Council had of you start just shortly after you were sired. Before that, absolutely nothing. It was as if William the Bloody had just popped into existence." I took the shot glass from Spike's hand and downed it, shaking my head from the awful taste. "So, from the few clues I have, I'm going to make a guess about your past and you gotta tell me if I'm wrong or not. Okay?"

"Okay." He scoffed, waving his hand to order more drinks.

"You were a total softie." The blond choked on his drink and shot me a look.

"I was _not_!"

"Oh, my cheeses! You were! Big Bad was a _sweetheart_. Now look at you- hangin' around a half-breed and fighting evil." I shook my head while chuckling. "Man, the future is so wild."

"Yeah, well, I _wasn't_ a softie. I've _always_ been bad, love. Uh, well, was."

"Nope. I saw your face. I know you well enough, William, you can't lie to me anymore." Leaning onto the bar, I rested my jaw onto my knuckles. "Also, you couldn't find anything to rhyme with 'effulgent', could you?"

"That obvious?"

"You said your heart had 'a bulge in it'. So, for next time- as reference- effulgent rhymes with words like refulgent and undulant." Spike just looked at me and got this little smile, making my brows furrow. "What?"

"Nothing, love."

"No, tell me. What? That face isn't a 'nothing' face."

~

"This may come out a little pretentious, but one of you will betray me." Angel stated as he paused his pacing and Spike's hand shot up. "Wes."

"Oh. Can I deny you three times?" The blond sounded disappointed.

"Vail's the sorcerer of the bunch. You know that game. You've seen his place. He believes you'd make a play for my spot."

"That's not very flattering."

"It'll get you in the door. Illyria, Izzerial the devil and three other members of the circle dine together almost every night."

"I'll make trophies of their spines."

"Good to have you on the team." She nodded and Angel turned to Gunn. "Gunn."

"Yo."

"Your friend, Senator Brucker, has a campaign office in West L.A. You already know she's pure Hell spawn and she tends to surround herself with vampires."

"I was hopin' it'd be vamps. Haven't dusted enough this year. No offense." He glanced to Spike and gestured.

"It's all right."

"Spike."

"Right. First off, I'm not wearin' any amulets. No bracelets, brooches, beads, pendants, pins or rings."

"Fine. All you need is a rattle."

"Ah, the baby."

"And the legion of the Fell Brethren. I want the kid returned to his mother and foster family dismembered."

"Done and done."

"Archduke Sebassis has over 40,000 demons under his command. Other members of the council fear him. He's the key player, so he's mine. Lorne-"

"Oh, I'm not a fighter, Angelwings. Never had the stomach for it. Looks like I'm your weak link."

"I need you to back Lindsey."

"Still can't believe you brought him in."

"He's a part of this. It'll be just as dangerous for him as it will be for everyone else on our team." Angel crossed his arms and he looked right at me.

"....What?"

"I need you to come with me."

"Why? Scared Sebassis might kick your ass?" I scoffed, but the brunette's expression didn't change.

"Angel, there's something you're not telling us, isn't there?" Wesley shifted in his seat. "About Aud, specifically."

"The circle knows Aud would never join them, not willingly, anyway. They plan on using Vail's power to wipe her memory."

"Oh, no. I already had to deal with a tabula rasa magic shennanigan once, I am _not_ doing that again." I stood up while waving a finger. "What makes them think I'll do anything for them even if my brain was a clean slate?"

"Vail can not only remove memories, but can make them as well. They could turn you into whoever they wanted." Wesley answered and my face hardened.

"So I guess we're not going back to the office after this." Gunn slid his hands into his pockets while facing Angel.

"The alley just north of Hyperion. Everyone who makes it meets there. We do any damage at all, the senior partners are gonna rain Hell on us. So be ready." Angel told us and Lorne was the first to leave after having a quiet chat with the brunette vampire. Gunn, Wesley, and Illyria followed soon after.

"What do you think all this means for that _Shanshu_ bugaboo? We make it through this, does one of us get to be a real boy?"

"Who you kidding? We're not gonna make it through."

"Well, long as it's not you."

"No offense, but I'd rather you two not be so pessimistic."

"Oh, actually care if I die or not?" Angel gave me a look and I sighed.

"Because if you do that either means we failed or I'm already dead."

"That, or you killed him yourself." Spike shrugged. "Could blame it on the fight, no one would kno- Ow!" He rubbed his arm after I punched it. "I was only ki- Oh...." Spike's shoulders slumped as I hugged him tightly, burying my face into his shoulder.

"Don't get cocky. Don't let your guard down. And don't-"

"Aud, love, I'll be fine." The blond said while hugging me back. "I've trained with you and Illyria, haven't I? What's a demon cult compared to you two?"

~

"I'm gone for _five_ minutes- **five** \- and you somehow manage to get your ass kicked." I grumbled, pulling off my shoes as Angel grunted from the floor of the lobby in front of his office. "You only had to hold him off until I got here."

"Aud, now's really not the time."

"Where'd that big bastard go? Or am I going to have to hunt him down too?"

"Oh, no need. I'm right here." Marcus smiled while coming down the stairs. "But, I'll have you know that I have no qualms in fighting you despite the senior partners' interest in you. You'll just heal, right?"

"Is it just me or does he seem bigger?" I mumbled and Angel waved his hand.

"No, same size."

"Right." Nodding, I pounced, shifting midair before crashing right into the liaison. I thought I had him pinned, but he easily shoved me off of him, sending me flying back to the elevators. I dented the doors from the impact, but quickly regained my composure. "Holy shit, I was not expecting that."

"Aud, he took down Illyria- don't underestimate him." Angel grunted again, getting to his feet while rolling his shoulders as glass fell from his clothes.

"Well, Illyria did get knocked down a few pegs from that weird gun, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect." My fist collided with Hamilton's face, causing his head to jerk to the side before I hit him in the gut. Angel came up from behind Marcus, grabbing his arm to try and flip him.

Emphasis on the 'try', the guy was planted firmly out the ground and chuckled at Angel's attempt. He grabbed a hold of Angel and swung around, hitting me with the vampire and sending us into Harmony's desk. The wood broke and unicorns shattered as they hit the ground.

"Oh, shit. Up! Up, up, up!" I urged Angel to get off of me but he was taking too long as the man in the grey suit was walking towards us with a smile. Throwing Angel off instead, I crouched before jumping and twisted in the air, my tail wrapping around Hamilton's face as I turned. The liaison soon found his head buried into the wall, but not even that seemed to phase him as he pulled his head back out.

"What is with you people? Let me say this as clearly as I can. You can not beat me. I am a part of them, the wolf, ram, and heart." Marcus grabbed me by my jaw, lifting me up and slamming me against the wall. "Their strength flows through my veins." I didn't notice when it had happened, but the overgrown bastard now had something in his hand- it looked like a capsule pill with a yellow-ish green powder. "My blood is filled with their ancient power." He squeezed my jaw, forcing me to open my mouth as I bared my teeth and kicked at him, digging my claws into his arm.

But he wasn't letting go.

And the pill was forced down my throat.

"Can you pick out the one word there you probably shouldn't have said?" I heard Angel question before he was suddenly on Hamilton's back, sinking his fangs into the man's neck and audibly drinking. The liaison dropped me, turning to swing at Angel but the vampire easily avoided him by jumping back. "Wow! You really are full of it." The two became preoccupied with one another while was hacking and coughing, trying to vomit up the pill because I had no idea what it was or why Hamilton made me swallow it.

All that was coming up, though, was drool. I kept trying, but now my iron stomach was refusing to let me cough it up- well, save for half of the capsule that now lay on the floor, but none of it's contents.

"What was that you were saying about ancient power?" Angel asked as he was still fighting the liaison.

As far as I knew I was impervious to poisons and the sort, but if the liaison went through the trouble and the risk of me biting his fingers off, it had to be _something_ that he knew would work against me.

"You don't really think you're gonna win this, do you? You don't stand a chance. We are legion. We are forever."

"Then I guess forever....just got a Hell of a lot shorter."

Was it that plant? Oh, no, I could not be rendered paralyzed at a time like this.

"Aud? You okay?"

"I'm....I'm fine. But he made me take something- I don't know what it was." Looking up, I saw Angel's eyes grow sharp and he quickly began to search the dead man's pockets. When he turned back to me he had a tiny bottle that had a few other pills in it like the one Hamilton shoved into my mouth and in the other hand he had some strange pendant.

"Here, you hold onto that. Maybe Wes can figure out what it's for." The brunette tossed me the pendant and I caught it as he held up the bottle to the light while squinting. "I can't tell what these are.... They're not marked." He sighed. "I really hope your constitution holds up long enough for us to figure out what it is."

"....Um, excuse me?"

"What, Aud?" He lowered the bottle and looked at me as my ears drooped.

"Who....who are you?"

"Huh?"

"Where am I?" I felt my tail wrap around my legs as I looked around, seeing many broken things and shattered glass all over the floor. The bloody man in front of me looked shocked and my hands tightened on a strange pendant I was holding. The ground began to shake and I heard something break as I touched the wall to remain standing. "I-I wanna go home." I whimpered, seeing the dead man just behind the brunette.

The pendant in my hand grew hot and bright, blinding me with a red flash.

.

.

.

.

_**To be continued....** _


	113. This change

Groaning, I felt my face scrunch up as the bright sunlight was beating down on me. Pushing myself up, I found that I was laying on hot sand what was a sort of a white color. My brows furrowed- where was I now? First that building, now here?

Getting to my feet, I looked around and discovered I was on some beach as the air tasted salty and the clear, blue water reached to the horizon. I took a step towards the water, but stopped when my foot felt something hard and I bent over to find that pendant. I don't know why I had been holding it before, however it seemed important in a way I couldn't describe.

Pocketing the item, I turned from the water and headed inland as my tail swayed. _'Wait....tail. I have a tail.'_ Pausing again, I looked down at myself, taking note of what all I had.

Pants, shirt, white hair, claws, black and white skin, black and white fur, paws, weird ears, sharp teeth. Okay. Got it. No. Wait. Pockets- what else was in them?

A key. Okay, so I had a key and the pendant, but what the bloody Hell did the key go to?

Shaking my head, I continued on walking towards the forest lining the beach with thick, green foliage and bright flowers. The air was fresh with a slight scent of salt from the ocean and the sound of the waves faded the further I went into the trees. I could hear birds above me calling back and forth to each other, but I didn't recognize the sounds- not that it would have made a difference really, nothing was familiar to me.

Not to mention that I couldn't remember jack-shit other than the apparent language and understanding of it that I seemed to possess. I couldn't remember having a name, but I knew what a name was. I couldn't remember how old I am, but I knew what age was- and so on, and so forth.

I jolted, jumping back as a body suddenly landed in front of me. My heart was pounding in my chest and I locked eyes with them as they stood. They looked to be male and had some similarities to me like the tail and what-not, but he was much taller and had a sort of mane and fur on his chest. His cheeks and nose were covered in freckles, but around his eyes were completely black like on his arms and legs.

Did I also have those markings and freckles?

"Move and you will be shot with ostium." His voice was low and his tail flicked.

"....Ostium?"

"State your business here."

"I.... What?"

"Which sister tribe do you hail from?" His brows furrowed as he looked me up and down. "You do not dress like any of them."

"At least I am dressed." I popped off, wondering why he was only wearing a loincloth and armbands with tiny white shells on them. Wait....maybe what he wore was normal and I was the weird one? No, that can't be right, the two men from before were fully dressed as well.

"And you speak strangely. What's with your voice?"

"Nothing....I think." There was a quiet pause between us before the man raised his left arm and waved it with two fingers raised.

"I'll take you to the elder. She'll know your tribe and reason for being here." He went to grab the back of my neck but paused and his face scrunched up. "Where is your fur? Why are you so pale? You can't be sick...." I didn't really know how to reply, but he seemed to play it safe by touching my back since it was covered by the shirt. He pushed me forward, seemingly guiding me somewhere deeper into the forest.

We walked for a few minutes, maybe ten or fifteen, I wasn't sure, but then the trees began to grow more separated as the trunks became thicker and my mouth fell open as I saw a village in the branches above. I saw more people and a few were staring at us as the man beside me pointed to the nearest tree.

"Climb."

"Climb?"

"Yes. Go." He nudged me forward and I debated just running now or not. Standing in front of the tree, I noticed carved out grooves and used them to climb. Behind me, I heard the man snort and suddenly he was beside me, his claws digging into the bark. "The holes are for the children."

"....Oh."

"Keep climbing." The man looked amused and was pushing me again when we reached the first branch that lead into a bridge. More people were staring now and I realized why he was so shocked by how I looked so much like him and yet not. Sure, I looked similar enough to them that I knew we were the same species, but I lacked a few features they had and I was a lot paler than them- save for where my skin was black like theirs.

My eyes wandered over the people and village until the man had me standing in front of a large building secured on several branches. He pulled a colorful curtain to the side and lead me inside where it was a lot cooler than outside.

"Elder Durga, we have a guest." I saw a woman adorned in shells and beads sit up straight on her throne near the other side of the room. She, too, only wore a loincloth like the rest of the other residents in this village I had seen, but she wore more arm bands and hair ornaments than the rest.

"It can't be...." She mumbled before I suddenly found myself wrapped tightly in a hug and I was confused beyond belief. "Aadya!" The woman looked older and taller, but she was incredibly fast and incredibly _strong_. She was nuzzling her face into my hair, but abruptly stopped and held me at arm's length. "You're not Aadya...."

"E-Elder Durga....Aadya has been dead for over two decades." The man softly said, but the woman hushed him with a raised hand.

"Then explain to me how this woman looks so much like Aadya." She questioned but didn't give him any chance to answer. "Where are you from?"

"I....don't know."

"....What's your name?"

"I don't know that, either." My voice went quiet and she began to inspect my head and flip my ears up and down.

"I see no signs of head injuries or dried blood- though I do smell blood on you. Not your own...."

"What?"

"How did you get here?"

"I-I woke up on the beach."

"Mmm. Memory loss. How....odd." She cupped my cheeks and tilted my head up. "You bear a striking resemblance to Aadya, but you do not wear tribe clothes nor dawn their mark. Not even the tribes in the other worlds dress in this manner."

"....Other worlds?"

"Dimensions, dear. They are as plenty as the leaves in the trees, and some our people took refuge in long ago. Many returned here once it was safe, but a few remained where they were. However, we still keep in contact- a must when we are as few as we are."

"Um, ma'am-"

"Elder Durga."

"Elder Durga....I'm very lost, aren't I?"

"Oh, darling, you were lost. But that is no longer." She grinned, showing her sharp teeth and dimples. "Come, you must be hungry."

At first, I had been extremely on edge about being in a strange place and having no memories, but the longer I was there the more comfortable I felt. Sure, being poked and prodded by curious children was annoying, but I came to find out that they did it because- according to them- I was as pale as a newborn.

Elder Durga allowed me to stay with her to help me get accustomed to how things were done about the village, and I found learning it all was rather easy seeing as the people were very open with me. However, even as I was laughing and talking to others during mealtimes, I felt as if there was something very important that I had left behind.

~

"Nonnomen!" My ears perked as my name was called and I saw Jugar waving me over. I had been helping a boy braid his hair, but passed it on to the girl that had been playing with my hair so that I could go see what Jugar wanted. "Guess what today is." He grinned, placing his fists onto his hips.

"....Lunae?"

"Yes, but not what I meant." My eyes narrowed as I had to think, but I was just drawing blanks. "Initiation."

"That's today?"

"You've been here a month now and you're still equal to the toddlings, Nonnomen. It's time to move up."

"But I'm not ready!"

"Pah! You'll do fine. The toddlings pass all the time."

"The toddlings can _blend in_ , Jugar. And I don't know if you've noticed or not, but _I reflect light_." I gestured to myself, proving my point as the sunlight made me look even paler with a glow.

"You worry too much." He waved his hand before turning away. "All you have to do is stay hidden until morning."

"Yes, hidden from an animal trained to retrieved contenders." My tail twitched as I raised my hands. "Jugar, this thing has night-vision and I'm reflective- it won't even need to catch my scent trail, I'll be a beacon!"

"I would hope you'd still cover your scent trail, Nonnomen. The toddlings at least know how to do that much. Are you really going to let a group of children show you up?"

"They have a camouflage advantage I do not."

"They have white fur just as you do."

"But-"

"Nonnomen, they are _children_. If they can do it, so can you- even with your disadvantages."

"I'm going to strangle you if I fail." I stated and Jugar burst into laughter as we reached the starting point. The group of children taking the Initiation today were gathered in a line as a hairless beast with black eyes and green skin was sniffing each child. They all ranged in sizes, but it seemed the biggest of the little beasts was assigned to me. As soon as I got into line, it was sniffing at me, catching my scent.

Its head was boxy and it's body was muscular but stout. It could run rather fast, climb trees, swim- it was the perfect creature to use in this trial. The toddlings and I had to evade these things for the rest of today and into the night, passing if we lasted until morning. Fail and you were drug back to the village by the little beast assigned to you whether you liked it or not.

"Pull the eretrries back." Someone called and the beasts were held back by other members of the village. "Remember, toddlings, you have one hour before your eretrri is released. Get ready to begin." We turned towards the forest and got ready to run.

"Whoo! You can do it, Nonnomen!" Jugar hollered and I groaned. As if I didn't stand out already as it is....

Elder Durga blew a horn and we raced off. I quickly lost sight of the children, leaping over plants in my way to cut straight to the stream. When I reached the water, I dropped down and rolled in it, cutting my scent trail off before quickly getting an idea and grabbing handfuls of mud. Rolling on the river bank, I covered myself in mud- now I had camouflage.

~

"Nonnomen, I hope that's mud."

"It's mud." I replied, standing were I had been the previous day. Only two people had failed this Initiation- and I was neither of them.

"Welcome to the tribe." Elder Durga softly smiled at me, handing me a black armband with a single shell on it.

"Thank you, Elder Durga."

"Now, please, go wash yourself." She chuckled before moving on to the child standing next to me and handing her a matching armband.

"Jugar!"

"No, no, no, no, no! Don't touch me!" The male bounced away from me to avoid getting dried mud on him.

"Come on, don't I deserve a victory hug?"

"After you are clean, maybe." He kept his hands defensively raised and I laughed at him before proudly showing off my new band.


	114. He won't contain

"Nonnomen! Nonnomen!" There was child-like chanting and I groaned as I knew damn well there were kids bouncing on me. Not that this was an unusual occurrence, I quickly became a novelty to the children with the way I looked. Then, once they had ruled I was no threat, they were often jumping on me, hanging from my limbs, or following after me where ever I went.

"What?" I grunted.

"You're going to miss your trial!" They giggled and I huffed while rolling over. Months had passed since I had arrived in the village and my armband was filling up with shells with every trial I passed, rising up in the ranks of the tribe, but now I had reached the point where combat training and sparring were introduced to what normally would be teenagers.

Of course, I was no teenager, but since I hailed from no tribe as far as any of us knew, I had never gone through the trials until now.

"Nonnomen! Come on! Come on!" The kids chanted, physically dragging me out of bed by my tail and ankles.

"You brats!" I bared my teeth in a show of warning, but they only giggled and snarled right back at me. "Okay, okay. I'm up." Sighing, I exited the small sleeping room and stepped onto the branch just outside the door. Plopping down right there, my tail wrapped around the branch and a couple of the kids took place behind me, braiding my hair to get it out of the way. One of the others sat in front of me, his tail clutching to my arm since his tail wasn't long enough yet to grab the branch. A line seemed to form where we were all braiding each other's hair for the day- Another common occurrence that started shortly after my arrival.

It was somewhat difficult to get to the training grounds due to the giggling children clinging to my arms and legs while two more were on my back. They didn't disperse until I actually reached the training grounds and they ran off to go play elsewhere.

"Nonnomen. You are late." The older female declared with a stern face and the group of teenagers laughed.

"Did you not just see the swarm on me?"

"Make sure it doesn't happen again." She lightly hit me on the head with the training staff she had.

"Ow! Yes, ma'am."

"Your tardiness has given you the first spot, runt." She pointed to the circle in the dirt and my shoulders slumped. "Any volunteers on her opponent?" Every hand in the group raised. Most of them had basic battle training from their families so they knew they would have the upper hand on me- that and the fact that even though I was an adult, I was the same size as them and even shorter in some cases. "Aice, you're up." She pointed and a broad male stepped into the circle. "Remember, you are your own weapon. You have claws- use them. Teeth- use them. They could mean the difference between life and death." The older woman declared, standing tall with the staff at her side.

"If we're our own weapons, why do we have bows and staffs?" I raised my hand and I was hit on the head again. "Ow!"

"Staffs are for training you lot. Bows are for the guard. You want either of these, pass and become a teacher or a guard." She barked and the teens laughed at me again. "Now, begin!"

"Whoa!" I jumped back to avoid the sudden fist swung my way, but the teacher's staff tapped my calf.

"Remain in the circle, runt."

"Right." Stepping back into the safe zone, I looked to the teen in front of me. Judging from his shells on his armband, this wasn't his first sparring trial.... Great. I was about to get my ass handed to me, wasn't I? ' _Should have just stayed in bed.'_ I thought as the boy came at me again.

However, this time when he swung at me, I just leaned out of the way, his knuckles brushing past my cheek. My eyes went wide and my mind was only repeating two words. _'Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Oh, shit!'_ Aice swung with his other fist- faster than before- and my body seemed to react on its own.

Grabbing his wrist, I spun on my right paw and drove my elbow into his spine. The boy was sent to the ground, winded and gasping for air as everyone suddenly went quiet.

"....Who's next?" The teacher broke the silence, and this time only a few hands went up. "Daro." Another large male entered the ring as Aice was returning to the group with his head low and his ears flipped down in embarrassment. "Begin!"

Daro aimed right for my face and I suddenly dropped down, spinning and kicking his legs out from under him. He fell with a heavy thud and grunted, but quickly got back to his feet since he hadn't left the ring. He tried flying at me with a kick this time, but I just let my body move on instinct since that seemed to be working. Rolling out of the way, I dodged Daro's strike and he twisted around to face me as soon as he hit the ground.

"Stop running, runt. Attack!" The teacher called out but I could feel the tension in the air. What I was doing was highly unexpected- not only because of my size, but because of my memory being a blank slate and not having any combat training to recall upon.

Taking a firm stance, I waited until Daro ran at me. Tilting my head to the left, his fist missed it's mark and my knuckled collided with his stomach.

Daro disappeared into the forest from how far he flew and my eyes went wide as my mouth hung open.

"Nonnomen....I think you are done for the day."

"....Yes, ma'am."

"Tomorrow, don't bother showing up here." I turned to the teacher, unable to speak as I was at a loss for words. "I'm bumping you up to the adult sparring trials."

"I'll die!"

"Perhaps not."

"Wha- but-"

"Goodbye, Nonnomen."

~

"I'm informed that some of your memories have returned."

"They have not, sir."

"But I was told yesterday you-"

"Sorry, but I had no idea what I was doing yesterday." I stated, hearing some people scoff behind me.

"....Do you know why you're here, runt?"

"....To....spar?"

"Yes, to spar. But that's not all."

"It's not?" I made a face and the larger man leaned onto the staff he had.

"You're an adult, Nonnomen. As are all those here. Sparring for us is not only to hone our strength, but to show our power. Those of you worthy enough may be given a chance to join the guar- What is it, runt?" He stopped once he saw my hand raised.

"Why are we sparring at night and on the beach?"

"Because we don't want to risk setting the village on fire." He looked at me like I was stupid and I heard giggling from the group.

"So fire's allowed now?" I quirked up a brow and he pinched the bridge of his nose while sighing. "Okay, okay, I got it."

"Now, for those of you that are unmated, this is also a way to prove your worth as a strong mate. It- ....What is it _now_ , runt?"

"So we physically fight to impress mates? I thought it was natural to dance to attract partners and to fight competition."

"This, folks, is why you don't spend all your time watching animals rather than actually attending classes." Laughter came as a response and my tail swayed with irritation. "Oh, upset are you? Fight it out." He pointed with his thumb to the temporary circles drawn into the sand. The group separated, two going to each circle while a few were left to observe.

I was pitted against a larger female and we waited for the instructor to start the matches.

"Begin!" She didn't hesitate to lunge at me, her hair igniting along with her scruff as she pulled back a fist. I dove under her, sliding across the sand to avoid being hit. She was much faster and clearly stronger than the two teens I had sparred the day before.

"Stop running, you damn runt!" She growled, slipping in the sand while trying to catch me. It seemed my size gave me an advantage in agility.... I kept avoiding her, not because I feared getting hurt, but because I didn't want to get my ass handed to me so soon.

I yelped when she grabbed hold of my tail and drug me to the center of the circle. She began to spin, swinging me around and around before letting go to throw me- only my tail had wrapped around her wrist and I only face planted into the sand.

Spitting out the white grains, I bared my teeth and pounced on the woman. She was surprised by my change in demeanor, not expecting me to kick her right in the face. She stumbled back as I landed, but I didn't give her time to recover and punched her in the gut, sending her flying into the ocean. The sounds of sparring died down and I knew I was being stared at.

"And that's why you don't underestimate your opponent!" The instructor was bellowing with laughter as the woman I had been fighting drug herself out of the water. Oh, she looked pissed. "Runt, what are the odds you were a warrior before losing your memory?"

"Uh....slim. Do you not see me? Some of the _children_ are bigger than me."

"I don't know, runt. You look to know what you're doing- when you're not running, that is."

"I have _no clue_ what I'm doing!"


	115. Slip away

The collection of polished, black river stones outside my door was gradually growing- even more so after the festival last month. Sure, the stones were beautiful, but it wasn't me that was collecting them and I had no clue what to do with them either.

I knew each stone represented someone wanting to court me, but I hadn't grown any interest in courting or mating in the slightest over the past year of being here. None of my memories had yet to return either, and I was close to just ridding myself of the key and pendant I had arrived with. I mean, I had no use for them nor did I know what they were for. They were connections to my life before coming here- a life I had no clue about- and I debated severing the connections because I was happy here and I didn't know if I was happy before.

But, on the other hand, even if I was happy now, it felt like there was a hole inside that nothing I did seemed able to fill it.

Shaking my head, I drug myself out of my thoughts and turned back to what I was doing. I was crouched in ankle-deep water, washing sand off of shells I had found along the beach that I would grind down once I got home. During my time here I found that I rather enjoyed painting, and shells were good for paler pigments or to thicken other watery paints made from berries and the like.

I had the dirty shells just sitting in the sand by my feet while the clean ones were in a basket my tail was wrapped around to keep it from floating away. The water splashed as I shook the shells in the water and rubbed the grit and sand off of them, using my claws to get the hard to reach edges and corners. Dropping them into the basket, I grabbed more shells and repeated the process.

Listening to the calm waves, I let out a heavy sigh, closing my eyes and basking in the heat and atmosphere. It was a beautiful day, but every day was beautiful- even when storms rolled in. As long as one avoided the hazards deeper into the islands or beyond the reefs, it was practically paradise here.

Suddenly, I heard screaming followed by two loud splashes and my head whipped to the side as my eyes snapped open. There was more splashing as two people swam for the shore and drug themselves out of the water.

"I'm on fire! I'm on fire!" The taller of the two was panicking while the shorter one tried calming the other one down.

"You're not on fire! You don't burn here, remember?"

"I'm on- Oh. Right." He cleared his throat, then looked down at himself. "Well, I'm bloody sodden, so there's that."

"Yeah, but check out the view." The female's voice held awe and I cocked my head to the side. Neither of them had tails or fur, not even markings or claws. That, and the female had bright _red_ hair while the male's was mostly blindingly yellow and short.

"Lovely. Nice and all, but I thought your doohicky spell was supposed to bring us right to Aud." The male waved his hand, slicking back his wet hair before wringing out the end of his shirt.

"I-It was _supposed_ to, but-"

"If you're looking for someone, I can help you." I called out while standing, resting my basket onto my hip. "Though, you may be on the wrong island- there's a few of them here." Walking towards them, they both gawked for a brief second before it was my turn to look surprised as they nearly tackled me.

"Aud!" They yelled, hugging me as I tried to remain standing while feeling rather awkward.

"Um....what's odd?" The two of them paused before slowly letting me go and looking at me.

"I guess Angel wasn't lying." The female spoke quietly and I took a step back.

"Look, if you two very non-threatening people need help, I'm willing to provide it, but it's not really nice to call people that don't look like you 'odd'."

"Oh, no! No, no. You're-" The redhead trailed off as her gaze drifted down and her eyes went wide like a fish's. "Oh, my goddess! _Aud_ , where is your shirt?!" She smacked a hand over the male's eyes. Putting my free hand onto my hip, I glanced to their clothing.

"See, I knew it wasn't weird to be fully dressed. Talk about cultural differences."

"Oi, I know your taste, Red, cover your own damn eyes." Now the male had a hand over the female's face. "Lower your hand, it's nothin' I haven't already seen."

"It's indecent, Spike!"

"Okay, if you two don't need help, I'm gonna just go...." I pointed over my shoulder as my brows furrowed. They quickly held out both their hands and yelled.

"No!"

"...." I just looked at the strangers as they shifted in the sand.

"Look, Au-

"Nonnomen!" Jugar came running, kicking up sand from his speed to reach the beach before pulling me behind him. "Stay back! These things are _humans_!" He bared his teeth, growling a warning to the two.

"Are you sure? They're very non-threatening to be humans."

"They what?" Jugar looked at me but I was paying attention to the two strangers now gawking at Jugar. The redhead pat the blond's chest, not taking her eyes off of the larger male in front of them.

"Spike....Spike I think I know where we are."

"Well, _someone_ ate their greens."

"Nonnomen, get back to the village, alert the guard. Humans are vermin- a few can easily become hundreds."

"Hey! Who you callin' human?" The blond looked offended, but his expression turned angry rather quickly as Jugar was pushing me towards the forest on the edge of the beach. However, my curiosity had me dragging my feet.

These were humans? But they were so nice- other than calling me odd, that it. They seemed nothing like the blood thirsty runts I was told they were.

"Get your hands off of her!" The blond growled and my eyes went wide at seeing his face physically change as he went for Jugar. Shoving Jugar out of the way, the blond nearly ran right into me as I just stared at his face. His brow had morphed, becoming more prominent while making him look vicious and aggressive.

Dropping my basket, I grabbed his face and Jugar was audibly irritated as he waved his hands.

"Nonnomen, what are you _doing_?! I just told you these things are humans, and you grab its face?!"

"Jugar, come here and look at this." Speaking to the taller male, I didn't take my eyes off of the blond. There was something strangely.... _familiar_ about his face.

"No-"

"He's got fangs." I stated, using my thumbs to lift the blond's top lip as he just stood there, seemingly not sure on what to do. "Humans don't have fangs, right?"

"Fangs? Impossible!"

"Look for yourself! They're huge, too. Check out how long they are." Jugar hesitated but leaned over my shoulder to look.

"....Okay, maybe they aren't human."

"As much as I like seeing you impressed, love, we gotta go." The blond grabbed my wrists to pull my hands off of his face so that he could speak. "Willow, boot up another portal-thingy and get us out of here."

"Ah, yes! Leave! And never come back." Jugar turned the blond around and pushed him towards the redhead.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold it, mate!

"About that...." The female gave a nervous look. "It took a lot of juice to get here, Spike. It's gonna take me some time to get us back."

"Why?!"

"Well, we're physically in another dimension. I'm not astral projecting here, this takes more power."

"Jugar, will you stop pushing people? It's rude." I grabbed his shoulder and swiped his feet out from under him while pushing down, sending him face first into the sand and making the blond laugh. "Now, if you two aren't human, what _are_ you?"

"Vampire." The male stated and the female rubbed the back of her neck and nervously laughed.

"Actually, I am hum-." I quickly covered her mouth and smiled before whispering.

"Keep that to yourself if you want to live."

"R-right, I understand. Um.... Oh!" She waved her hands before getting a rather big grin. "Glamor!" I don't know how, but I just knew what a 'glamor' was without it needing to be explained.

"If you can make yourself look like a vampire too, that should work. But try to keep the bumpy faces, you two looking human can cause a panic." The redhead nodded in understanding before casting magic on herself.

"When are you going to stop standing on me?" Jugar grunted and I barely looked down at him.

"When you stop being an asshole." Stepping on his cheek, I shoved his face further into the sand before grabbing the two strangers by their wrists and drug them towards the treeline. "You guys can hang out at my place until you get your strength back to get home." I told them, picking up the basket of shells with my tail while passing it. "Elder Dugar is really friendly, so as long as you don't cause trouble you should be able to stay."

~

"They sure do like to stare, don't they?"

"Well, you guys are something new here." I explained, pushing the curtain to the side to enter the small structure I called home. "....Sort of."

"Oh, you have such a pretty rock collection." The redhead smiled at the stones by my doorway and I scoffed.

"That's not my rock collection." Seeing their questioning looks, I waved my hand and set the basket down. "They're courting stones. People leave them in front of the home of the person they wish to court. There usually aren't that many at once, but they've been piling up for a while now. I never figured what to do with them- I mean, I'm not yet interested in courting." Looking over my shoulder when I heard rattling, I saw the blond pushing the stones over the edge of the small porch area, sending them raining down to the forest floor below.

"I think that's a bit rude, Spike." The redhead mumbled.

"Oops." He shrugged and stepped through the entryway. "Now, let's get on with this."

"Wait, do you really wanna spring it on her so suddenly?" The redhead came up, nervously fidgeting. "I-I mean, she had been here a _year_ , Spike."

"Yeah, and it's about time she left. Been here long enough." He scoffed. "She's already runnin' around in her knickers."

"....How do you two know how long I've been here?" I took a cautionary step back and they obviously noticed.

"Because, Aud-"

"Stop calling me odd!"

"No, love, it's your _name_!" The blond raised his hands. "Your _name_ is _Aud_."

"You....know me?" My brows furrowed and they nodded. _'I guess that explains why their clothes kinda look like the ones I came here in.'_ I thought. "Wait, no. You could be lying." I bared my teeth. "Your heartbeats are too quiet. How are you even alive?"

"Well, I'm not." The male raised his hand and the female took a step forward.

"Wait, you can hear mine just fine. Listen." I eyed her skeptically, but she was right. "We know you. You're name is Aud- Aud Giles. You're a half-breed Ustrina Augendae, and you went missing a year ago." Truth. Truth. And also the truth.

"Half-breed? What....what's the other half?" I unconsciously touched my armband. ....I had a feeling like I already knew the answer to that question.

"Aud, you're half human." She stated and her heart rang true. My back hit the wall as I slid down it, covering my head with my arms while laughing.

"....Aud?"

"That can't be." My voice wasn't as steady as before while my mind was already going at rapid fire speed, connecting the dots faster than I could deny them. "That....that's gotta be a lie. Humans- humans hunted us. Witches, sorcerers, demons, they-they turned us into game. Trophies." I laughed. "We nearly went extinct because of them- there's no way."

"It's true, love. Your mum skipped this dimension over 20 years ago. You're father's human."

"20...." My laughing died and I stood up. "I-I need a minute. You two just....just stay here." Without even looking at them, I quickly exited the room and walked across the thick branch and onto the bridge.

"Nonnomen! Nonnomen! What's with those strangers in your-"

"Not now, Dia." I waved off the little girl and kept walking.

"But, Nonnomen!" Feeling a tug on my tail, I twisted and bared my teeth as a warning.

"I said, not now, Dia!" She looked shocked from my tone and let my tail go. "I'm sorry, just...." I sighed, turning away while covering my face. "Just go play."

~

Sitting on the edge of the stream, I had my arms wrapped around my knees while my tail curled around my feet. It was dark now, the sound of bugs and croaking filled the air along with the water while the sky overhead was full of stars.

My ear twitched as I heard soft footsteps before a body sat down beside me.

"Jugar seems to be keeping a rather keen eye on your strange guests, Nonnomen."

"Aadya's my mother."

"Your memories?" I shook my head. "Ah, so the strangers know you, is it?"

"Apparently. But didn't you hear me? Aadya's my mother, Elder Durga."

"I figured as much."

"What?"

"I mistook you as her the first time we met, dear. Once I knew you weren't her, I knew you were her offspring."

"Why did you never say anything?"

"Wouldn't have mattered. You have no memories. You cannot deny nor confirm it. And another thing...." She nudged my shoulder with her own. "You must have been close with those strangers."

"What makes you say that?"

"They're very worried about you, Nonnomen. They've even been asking how you've been doing here." There was a pause as she looked out over the landscape. "Shouldn't you be with them? You might be able to spark a memory."

"I....I don't know if I want to."

"Why is that, dear?"

"....I couldn't have been happy."

"And why is that? You have two loyal friends here from your life before, what makes you think you weren't happy?"

"The way I fight. There's only one way you get that good- especially if you can't remember learning." I turned and looked at the elder and her soft gaze was already on me. "Because I'm a half-breed. Because I'm disgusting and tainted." My vision grew blurry from my eyes watering. "Because something horrible had to have happened for me to forget it all."

"Oh, child." Elder Durga wrapped an arm around me and pulled me to her side, her tail curling around me in a comforting manner. "You are none of those things, and as for your skills you may have just been a warrior- a protector. You shouldn't be so scared of the unknown, dear. Yes, you don't know what happened to you before you came here or your life before, but wouldn't you at least want to? Even if just to have peace of mind. Nonnomen, what if you have a family where you came from? People that miss you dearly?"

"I thought this was my home." I sniffed.

"It is, and it always will be, but you can have more than one home. I think you deserve to know if you had one before here." The shells in her hair clacked together as she turned her head. "We are a people of fire, Nonnomen. Fire goes where it pleases, no one can control it or force it a certain way, dear. It will eat when it needs to eat, and die when it must die."

"....Elder Durga, _we_ control fire."

"No, Nonnomen, we do not." She chuckled. "We can only guide it." Elder Durga rubbed her hand over my back while dropping her voice to a low tone. "I also know what your other half is, dear. And it does _not_ make you disgusting or tainted." I quickly sat up straight and looked at her. "Not all humans are bad, Nonnomen. And Aadya was a smart woman, so there is no doubt your father was a good one."

"But-"

"I know what the children are taught. But they are taught that way because not all humans are good, either. We _can't_ risk trusting the wrong ones. It's taken us too long to get where we are now."

"I....I think I'll head back now."

"All right, dear. I think I shall rest here a big longer. It's so nice out."

"Goodbye, Elder Durga."

"Goodbye, Nonnomen.

~

"Where did the blond one go?" I questioned the redhead that was in a circle of children braiding each others' hair.

"Spike? He left a little while ago."

"How long?"

"Uh....I'm not sure. He said he wouldn't go far." She gave me an apologetic look and I nodded before heading back out. There weren't many places that vampire could sneak off to without being noticed since he and the woman stood out even more than I did. Quickly looking around, I scanned the bridges and outside the buildings for the male in dark leather, but I didn't see him anywhere.

"Oh, come on." I sighed, walking around while trying to not seem like I was obviously looking for someone. After about a minute of looking, I finally spotted the blond and internally panicked. Okay, maybe he was sneakier than I thought. _'Why is he up there?!'_ I thought while hurrying to the elder's home now because _the vampire was on Elder Durga's roof._

Climbing onto the roof, I quietly made my way to him, but stopped a few feet away when my ears twitched.

"....Are you crying?" Speaking softly, I seemed to have taken him by surprise and he quickly tried to wipe his face. "Did something happen?" Sitting down next to him he turned his face away from me.

"I'm not cryin'. Just some dirt in my eye." That was clearly a lie and I didn't even need to listen to a heartbeat to know that.

"It's 'cause I don't remember you, isn't it? I'm....sorry."

"Eh, it's not your fault, love. You didn't choose for it."

"We were pretty close, huh?" I questioned, looking the the trees straight ahead.

"Were." He scoffed. "Yeah." There was a bitterness in his tone- he didn't like the past tense being used with this. But it was the past because now I hadn't a clue who he was. Whatever was there before was gone now.

"That redhead keeps calling you 'Spike'. Is that really your name?"

"One of 'em."

"So then what's your _real_ name?" He seemed to think about answering before speaking softly.

"William."

"William?" I repeated the name, testing out how it sounded. "Strange name. I like it." Shrugging, I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. "You said my name was Aud, right?"

"Yeah."

"That's weird too." I chuckled.

"What do they call you here?"

"Nonnomen."

"I think that's stranger than the other two."

"It means 'no name'." I stated, placing my hands onto the roof as I stretched out my legs. "The children started calling me that and it stuck. Oh, whatcha got there? It's shiny." My ears perked as I spotted the glinting object in his hands.

"This? It's....it's yours." He finally turned my way and held up a necklace with a black ring dangling from a thin chain.

"This was mine?" He dropped the necklace into my hand and I held it up to inspect it. The light of the two moons glinted off of the black stone set into the ring molded to resemble bones.

"Sure was. You wore it often. Just another thing you left behind, though."

"....I don't recognize it at all." I sighed as my shoulders slumped.

"It's all right. We'll get your memories back soon, love." My grip on the jewelry tightened. I still hadn't decided if I really wanted them back or not. "Why's it look like you were cryin'?" William's hand touched my cheek, his thumb rubbing under my eye.

"So vampires can see in the dark, huh?"

"Pretty much." He was pulling his hand away but I furrowed my brows while catching his wrist. "What?"

"That....that felt familiar." My eyes narrowed a fraction and I saw the look he was giving me. "I had a feeling I knew you on the beach, I'm not gonna lie. But....the feeling was so vague- like trying to catch smoke. And this...." I trailed off, leaning into his hand that was only as warm as the air around us. My chest started vibrating with a purr and it took me a second to catch it. "Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry." Quickly jerking myself away, I felt heat rise in my cheeks.

"Don't worry about it, pet." William chuckled. "I'm used to you purrin'."

"You are?" I rose a brow.

"Yeah. You do it often. Well, _did_."

"So we openly showed each other affection? Like how you and the woman hugged me on the beach?" If we showed affections then we really did know each other- in a positive way as well. At least that means we weren't actually enemies.

"Her name's Willow."

"Like the tree." My ears perked as I recalled what willow meant.

"Like the tree." He nodded with a soft smile and I sat the necklace to the side. "Oof!" The blond hit the roof from me suddenly pouncing on him, but he had said we showed affection for each other and I was going to do that because I didn't feel on edge around him.

"Gotta catch up on a year of hugs." I laughed and the vampire scoffed. "You also clearly seem to need them." I added, resting my chin onto his chest.

"Why you say that?"

"You just look like you need it." Laying my head down, I closed my eyes while gripping his jacket tighter. "This also has that vague familiarity." I mumbled, confirming my earlier thoughts on us not being enemies. "It's....nice."

"It is." William's voice was soft as one of his hands began to stroke my hair. Oh, now _this_ was nice- I couldn't help but purr. But there was something strange about all of it that I noticed.

The hole was gone.

I felt....full. Complete.

"Is Willow familiar, too?" His chest vibrated as he spoke and I paused. _'No, she isn't.'_

"Not in the slightest. Did I not know her as well?"

"I'm not sure, but you've know Red as long as you've known me. Hell, you even lived together at one point."

"Are we related?" I asked and the vampire laughed.

"No. Don't actually know any of your human family other than your adoptive father."

"Adoptive father?"

"An old goat, if you ask me."

"Literally or....?"

"He's human, so no."

"I was raised with humans?"

"By humans." His tone shifted and I sat up to look at him.

"William, what happened to my mother? She died, didn't she?"

"When you were four."

"No siblings?"

"Not by blood. As far as we know, anyhow."

"My real father- did he die when my mother did?"

"Honestly...." The blond sat up, glancing into the forest. "Don't know a lick about him. You didn't seem to either, so who could tell?" I chewed the inside of my cheek.

"Why did it take a year for you guys to find me?"

"Kinda had the apocalypse to deal with, love. Then the fact that you somehow ended up in this dimension." His gaze drifted to the sky. "Travel between dimensions isn't the easiest thing to do."

"Willow must be very powerful then."

"Oh, you have no idea. Red's even stronger than before- Well, the last time _we_ saw her." Tilting my head, I studied his features again since his face hadn't been all vamped out. His blond hair was curly and brown near the roots, and I didn't know if that was how it normally looked or if it was being influenced by his earlier dip in the ocean. His left eyebrow had a scar cutting through it, but the mark looked old and long since healed. His jaw and cheekbones were well defined and his eyes were like the water shallows with how blue and clear they were.

"You have beautiful eyes." I mumbled and he looked at me with raised brows.

"What?"

"I said you have beautiful eyes. I've never seen blue eyes- uh, I mean, that I can remember." Chuckling, I gestured to his face. "But clearly I've seen them before since you know me."

"Uh," He cleared his throat. "thanks. You-"

"Nonnomen! What are you doing up here? And with that....vampire?" Jugar made a face while saying the word as if he found it weird feeling to say.

"We're friends." I stated, throwing my arms around the blond and resting my cheek on his shoulder while looking at Jugar. "He was telling me about my past."

"He could be lying." He snarled.

"He's not."

"How do you know?"

"Mmm....I feel it."

"He could still be dangerous-"

"Oh, relax, mate." William's face returned to looking more demonic as he looked over his shoulder to Jugar. "She can kick my ass just fine, if that's what you're worried about."

"You say that as if you have experience." Jugar raised a brow while crossing his arms.

"I do. Quite a bit of it, actually."

"Oh, we sparred together?" I questioned and the blond nodded.

"Often."

"So Nonnomen was a warrior, yes?" Jugar catiously walked closer before crouching.

"Best damn one I'd ever seen." I grinned at the compliment.

"I'm just barely average now."

"Average?" William gave me a look and Jugar waved his hand.

"Nonnomen is only average in brute strength, not in battle tactic and overall power." He explained. "Her strength alone makes her not that impressive, but her skills....she's the best. Is this normal combat training in your world, vampire?"

"No, Aud was different. Taught to fight in a lot of different styles."

"Odd?"

"Aud." I corrected. "It's my name. Strange, isn't it?"

"....Very." Jugar made a face while furrowing his brows.


	116. To clear your mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: Mature content ahead, proceed at own risk*

"You two should be able to eat this." I said, handing the two wooden plates to the blond and the redhead. Willow looked at the food hesitantly before I gave a reassuring smile. "Go on, it's just food." William glanced from the redhead to me and then to his own plate before speaking.

"Eating raw meat can make her sick." He said lowly and I chewed the inside of my cheek while thinking.

"And you?"

"Blood is my main food source." William waved his finger and I nodded.

"Okay. If anyone asks, you're meat intolerant." Taking the plate from Willow, I set it down and hurried off to fetch something she could eat. Returning, I placed a large leaf into her lap as it held various fruits. "Let's see here....uh.... What kinds of fruits can you eat?" I questioned, knowing that we were being watched. The others were still very curious of these two newcomers.

"Um, bananas, grapes, strawberries, apples, things like that- b-but I don't think...." Willow trailed off, looking at the fruits in her lap.

"No, this is fine. I know what those things are." Taking some round fruits from her lap and a bundle of bright red berries, I nodded to the rest. "Those are very similar to those, so they should be safe."

"So you remember those?" She asked and I paused as my tail touched the ground.

"I remember language. I remember what the things are to each word or their meanings. I know the Sun, the stars, Earth, dogs....but none of those things are here. The star we orbit is not called the Sun, but it's known as Ignis. The celestial bodies that come at night are not the Moon, they are Lumen and Petram. It seems the only things I can't remember are my name, my family, friends, my _life_." Sighing through my nose, I rocked back and sat in front of Willow while crossing my legs.

"So you don't even know how you lost your memory?" William furrowed his brows and I shook my head.

"My earliest memory is from a year ago- I was in some building that was rather damaged and there were two other men."

"Angel and Hamilton."

"One of them was dead."

"That'd be Hamilton."

"What happened after that?" Willow tilted her head a bit and my ear twitched as I bit into one of the fruits I had taken from the redhead.

"I just remember being scared and wanting to go home, then there was this bright light and suddenly I was on the beach." I replied. "You should eat. It may not seem that dangerous here, but missing a meal here could put you at risk."

"....Risk? ....Of what?" Willow locked eyes with me and I swallowed the food in my mouth.

"I don't know how you'll fare here. It gets hot when Ignis is at its peak, not to mention the wildlife here may see you as an easy meal since you have no real visible means of defense. No claws, fur, scales, feathers- nothing."

"Understood." She nodded, picking up a pear shaped fruit.

"Nonnomen!" Voices called and a group of children hung on me while giggling.

"Here." I presented the extra fruit to them and their little hands plucked up the food before eating contently.

"We braided the red one's hair!"

"And made bracelets together."

"Oh? How nice." I smiled before they all turned to William and he stopped while noticing their gazes.

"....What?"

"Nonnomen, we didn't really see much of the yellow one."

"Really?"

"He hid. Like a brushel." I snorted and William looked at me for an explanation.

"A what now?"

"It's like a small rodent." Chuckling, my tail twitched and William gave the kids a look.

"I think he's not very brave either."

"Did we scare you?"

"What? No. Leave me alone." The blond said, but that only made the children move from me and advance on the vampire. "What are you doing? Stay back. Aud, call off the ankle-biters!" He scrambled to his feet and I only laughed as the kids attacked.

~

"How are you feeling, Nonnomen?" Looking up, I paused what I was doing, sitting just in front of my home where the two strangers were.

"....Conflicted, Elder Durga." I replied with honesty. "But....less so than before. They seem like good people."

"Have any memories returned?" She crouched in front of me and I glanced back down to what I had been doing before getting back to work.

"None. However...."

"However?" Elder Durga cocked her head to the side as the grinding noise filled my ears as I was breaking up the shells in the carved out stone.

"I can't really explain it, but there's this familiarity to William- the pale haired one- and it feels like there's something just out of reach that I can't grasp."

"Perhaps you two were close."

"He says we were." I said softly. "And I believe it. But....I still feel like there's something there that I don't quite understand."

"Maybe with time you will. Why not bring them with you tonight?"

"To the fire dance?"

"It'll be fun." Elder Durga smiled. "It'll help them relax in such a foreign world."

"Perhaps." Smiling, I looked to the older woman. "Maybe even the others will ease up with their presence."

"Maybe." She smiled back.

~

"A what now?"

"A fire dance."

"Sorry, but, uh, we don't really mix well with _fire_."

"Oh, no, you don't have to actually be on fire." I waved my hand. "We build bonfires on the beach and there's music- okay, some people will be on fire, but just avoid touching their heads and you'll be fine."

"So it's like a party?" Willow questioned and I nodded.

"Exactly! Though....you may want to go without your shoes, they'll get full of sand." Rubbing my chin as I put my hand onto my hip, I looked them up and down while furrowing my brows. "Actually, you may want to change entirely, your clothes aren't really.... _'fire safety'_."

"Well, I ain't goin' out in my skivvies."

"Well, you have pants." I replied and turned to Willow. "You....you're very modest." Pointing at the redhead, I looked over my shoulder. "I think Jugar could make you something to wear. He's good with leather." My tail twitched and I went out onto the bridge while cupping my hands around my mouth. "Jugar!" I yelled. " _Jugar!_ "

"What?!"

"Come here!"

"Why?!"

"Because!"

"Why?!"

" _Just get over here!_ " I turned back to my home and pushed back the curtain covering the entryway. "Okay, so, Jugar can make you something to wear that won't catch fire and the kids can braid your hair to keep it out of the way. Sound good?"

"....Uh, well, um.... Yeah." Willow smiled after nervously fidgeting. "Why not?" She chuckled.

"What do you want, runt?" Jugar huffed as he entered the room and I pointed to the redhead.

"She needs clothes for the fire dance tonight."

"What about him?" He pointed at William and the blond scoffed.

"I'm good, mate."

"Yeah, apparently they're a very modest species." I stated, grabbing Jugar's arm. "So, she might need something to cover her breasts."

"Might? N-no, _definitely_."

"See."

"I can work with that." Jugar sighed before waving his hand. "Come on."

"What?"

"If you want clothes that fit you'll have to be there to try them on."

"Oh, right." Willow nodded.

"Don't worry, Jugar won't leave you stuck in a tree. Right?" I elbowed the taller male in the ribs and he grunted.

" _Right_."

~

"Aud!" My ears perked when I heard the redhead call out and I looked up to see her waving to me while smiling. Jugar was a few steps behind her, coming out of the forest and onto the beach.

"Ah! I told you he was good with leather!" I laughed and went to hug her. She accepted and returned the gesture before I held her out at arm's length. "The dancing has already started, so feel free to just jump in whenever you like. And you," Turning to Jugar, I jumped and hooked my arm around his neck, getting him in a headlock as my feet hit the ground and I was ruffling his hair. "ya did a good job!"

"Nonnomen!" He growled, trying to push me off with no success as my knuckles mussed up his mane. Jugar swept me off of my feet, picking me up in his arms while standing. "Fine, if that's how you want to do this." And he ran further from the trees and towards the water, going past the built up fires.

"Jugar! No! No, no, no-" He spun on his heel in the shallows to get momentum before throwing me, sending me yards off into the water with a loud splash. I heard his laughter over the music when my head broke the surface and I bared my teeth. "You ass!" His hands were on his knees to keep himself upright as I swam back to shore. Sand clung to my wet fur and skin as I took in a deep breath through my nose.

My hair lit aflame as I shook, flinging the water off while drying myself, getting Jugar with the water that flew off me. He verbally complained and I grinned before shoving him head first into the water. Turning back to the bonfires and dancing bodies, the music and laughter filling the air gave me a warm feeling in my chest. I was content and excited, happy while seeing the smiling faces and swaying flames.

However, my smile faltered when I saw that Willow's glamour was gone- but....no one was freaking out. Looking around again, I saw that some of the Ustrina were practicing hiding their true forms and then it clicked. It was okay that she looked human because the others just thought she was shifting shapes like they were. That was rather relieving.

Jugar was pushing himself out of the water as I was searching for the blond, but when I spotted him I felt my tail flick as something....odd was happening.

He was just standing there by one of the fires, seemingly looking at nothing in particular as he ran a hand through his curly hair. William must have felt me staring because he turned in my direction and smiled a smile that showed his teeth and dimples. His eyes glittered in the firelight like gems and I felt a sort of internal pull and a clenching in my chest.

I hadn't realized I had been holding my breath until Jugar hit my shoulder, making me stumble forward onto the sand. _'What the fuck was that?'_ I thought with furrowed brows before turning to Jugar to send him back into the water. _'What....what is it about him?'_ The bigger Ustrina caused a loud splash as he went under and those nearby were laughing.

But....I wasn't really paying much attention to them as I walked away before Jugar could get back up. I went straight for the blond and put my hands behind my back as my tail swayed.

"He givin' you a rough time, love?"

"No, we're just playing around." I replied before biting my lip. "Hey, um...." Softly smiling, I looked up at the blue eyed man while raising my shoulders. "wanna dance, too?"

"Not really my thing." He cleared his throat, sliding his hands into his pants pockets.

"Oh, come on." Chuckling, I gently grabbed his wrists and led him to a clear enough space on the sand. "Don't worry, I won't catch fire. Now, do you even know _how_ to dance?"

"I do."

"Then this shouldn't be too hard." I smiled, intertwining my fingers with his to dance to the music. Moving along to the drumbeat, sand kicked up and twirled around my feet. William was hesitant, but caught on and began to move as well, his bare feet going lightly over the sand.

The bonfire's light casted swaying shadows over the beach as embers and sparks danced in the sky, the Ustrina with their hair on fire only added to the display as they bounced and turned to the music. William had a soft look on his face as he was grinning, clearly enjoying himself as we went around the fire.

As the song faded into the next, and then to the next, I just kept dancing with the vampire. It was nice and it was fun and he was actually keeping up rather than tripping over his own feet. But....whenever our bodies were close and I could smell his faint scent....my heart beat faster in my chest in a way I wasn't used to. There was a strange magnetism I couldn't explain and I didn't know if it was just me or not.

He spun me before pulling me in, my back pressed against his chest as his arms were wrapped around me. Looking up at him, he seemed to sense the shift in atmosphere as his smile slowly fell. What the fuck was going on? I couldn't tell if it was the drums or my heart that I was hearing beat in my ears as my eyes were locked onto his.

Goodness, his eyes were just so _beautiful_. And those pale pink lips of his- Wait. Why was I looking at his lips?

Spinning away, I kept the dance going as my mind couldn't focus. Since he got here, there was _something_ about William that I just couldn't put my finger on that made him _different_. He said we were friends, but I craved to be close to him. He filled the hole in my heart that I didn't even know what it was from- had it existed because of _him_? Had it formed because _he_ had been absent from my life?

Just who was he to me? Why couldn't I remember? Why? _Why?_

His hands on my skin as we danced had started out rather innocent and fun, but now it was like something was buzzing under my skin wherever his fingers touched. I knew he knew from the way he looked at me, but I just didn't understand what it was I was experiencing.

It only clicked when his hand inched up my outer thigh when our bodies were close again- what I was feeling was _attraction_ and _arousal_. He knew because he could smell the change in my pheromones, but I found I wasn't embarrassed by that, it only....excited me more.

Were we just friends before, or had it been something more? Fuck, I wish I had my memories back. This guessing game and all these questions were driving me mad and eating away at me.

Grabbing the back of his neck, I pulled his head down for me to whisper in his ear.

"Meet me in the forest. We need to talk privately." Letting him go, I slipped away and strayed further from the light of the fires and dancing Ustrina Augendae. William just watched me with a calculating expression as if he were trying to think and figure out what exactly was happening. Disappearing into the trees, the sound of the music faded with the distance and I waited for the blond to show up.

When he did, I poked him in the chest while looking up at him.

"Tell me the truth, William." I paused only a second before continuing. "Who are you?"

"That's a rather complicated answer, love."

"Is this an ability vampires have?"

"....What?"

"This." I gestured to myself. "What's happening to me- is this a power you possess?" He scoffed while putting his hands onto his hips.

"Me? Yeah. Vampires in general? Nah."

"I'm being serious!" I hit his arm to get that smirk off of his face, making him cringe instead. "Why?" I took a step forward and he took a step back, hitting a tree. I put my hands onto the bark on either side of him so that he had nowhere to go and had to answer me.

"'Why' what?"

"Why...." I swallowed, my gaze drifting to his lips as I trailed off. "Why do I want you to kiss me?" My voice came out softer than I had anticipated, and the blond moved slowly to grab my face.

"You want me to kiss you?"

"....Yes." I replied as he was already leaning down. Goosebumps crawled across my skin as his lips gently brushed over mine and something seemed to spark. My heart thudded beneath my rib cage as my hands lifted from the tree. Pressing my lips more into his, my palms ran up his bare chest and to the back of his neck as one hand tangled into his hair.

What we were doing just felt so natural that I didn't even question it. William's hands went down my back slowly, grabbing my hips to pull my body closer to his as his tongue ran over my bottom lip. Parting my lips, his tongue slipped into my mouth and he grabbed the back of my thighs, picking me up with ease.

Wrapping my legs around his waist, I felt my tail wrapping around his thigh as his chest pressed against mine. A hand fisted in my hair, pulling me back before the blond was trailing kisses along my jaw and down my neck. My breath faltered as his teeth grazed my skin and I nipped at his ear while purring.

"Mine."

"That's right, love." He mumbled against my collarbone before planting a kiss there. William turned, pushing my back against the tree as his hips ground into mine. I took in a sharp breath as my claws drug over his shoulder blade, leaving angry red marks and beading blood.

I could feel the wetness between my legs as the blond's body was flush against mine and my lips were on his. One of his hands came between us, rubbing against the fabric over my clit. My thighs clenched as my breath faltered, but I didn't push the vampire away.

In all honesty....I was wanting more. I wanted more skin to skin contact, I wanted to feel his hands and lips on me more, I wanted _him_. And it was then that, without a doubt, that I knew there was more to our relationship than just being friends. It made more sense now how I had caught him crying- he wasn't mourning a friend forgetting him, he was mourning a mate forgetting him.

He was the reason I never grew interested in courting no matter how many stones piled outside my home- I was already mated. But then that also raised another question: Why him? We were attracted to compatible and capable, strong warriors. He said I had kicked his ass many times. How had I become attracted with no display of strength?

William pushed my loincloth to the side, swiping his fingers through my slick and rubbing against my clit. I moaned into the blond's mouth, my purring growing louder as he held me in place against the tree.

"You smell so fuckin' good, pet." His voice had grown husky as he was nipping at the side of my neck now, his fingers circling my entrance was his thumb pressed against my throbbing bud. My hips bucked as I clung to him, panting close to his ear as he kissed my shoulder.

"Fuck~!" I breathed, feeling his digits slide into my core. William went slow, easing into thrusting his fingers as my toes curled. My body shuddered, feeling the pleasure licking at my nerves and shooting up my spine to make my head spin.

Reaching down, I nearly ripped his pants trying to undo the button and zipper. The blond chuckled at my impatience, but this craving desire was becoming too intense and I needed relief.

I couldn't figure how he had become my mate, but he, without a doubt, was mine and the strange things I noticed made sense now that I knew. The magnetic pull, the familiarity, the emptiness being filled, and how he looked at me- all of it.

I wanted my memories back.

I wanted to remember my mate, to _know_ him again. Did we have a family in the other world? Was it just us?

I could faintly hear the music from the beach through the heavy breathing and moaning- I gave a warning growl when William pulled his hand from between my legs, but I was quickly purring again as his hard dick rubbed against my lips, getting covered in my slick as the blond sucked his fingers clean.

Palming my breast in his rough hand, William buried his face into my neck, licking and biting at my skin as he shifted his hips and- _Oh, sweet fuck!_

My head fell back as I moaned, loving the feeling of how his cock filled me. The pleasant ache of the stretch eased way for the pure pleasure as his body was against mine. His thrusts were slow and soft at first, but his hips snapped into me when I pulled his hair. William grunted and my tail tightened around his thigh.

If he'd been an Ustrina, our tails would naturally be intertwined, but it seemed his thigh made a good substitute as my legs locked around his waist. His hand that had been on the back of my leg to hold me up moved since there was no way he was going to drop me with how I clung to him. Fingers tangled into my hair, tugging as he pinched my nipple. My back arched off of the tree as I moaned, heat boiling up in my lower gut as I bared my fangs.

It just felt so _right_ to be in his arms, and holy Hell, did it feel good too. William grunted with each thrust of his hips, grinding his pelvis into mine and making my head feel light. I heard a growl before I felt his sharp teeth grazing over my skin. A shiver ran up my spine as my toes curled and I bucked off of the tree.

William lost his balance, falling flat on his back as I was still on him. Placing my hands onto his chest, I rode the blond as his palms ran up my thighs. He licked his lips, watching me like a predator with his now yellow eyes. My body shuddered as his thumb pressed against my clit, going in circles over the bundle of nerves and leaving me breathless.

My claws left marks on the blond's chest and his head fell back as his jaw clenched, grunting through grit teeth as his hips bucked up into me.

~

The sound of the running water and chirping night life filled the quiet as I rubbed my hands over William's back, healing and cleaning the marks I had left there. Resting my chin onto his shoulder, I glanced to the side of his face that I could see.

"Why didn't you tell me before that we were mates?" My voice was soft and he somewhat turned his head towards me.

"Not something you really just _drop_ on somebody, love. You freaked out and ran off when you learned you were half human, God forbid what you'd do if you heard you were mated to me."

"Well, at least I know now." Placing a soft kiss onto the back of his neck, I poured water down his back to clean away the blood and dirt. "How long?"

"Have we been together?"

"Yeah."

"Mm. About 4 years before you vanished. Or, well, ended up here." He replied, his voice low as he shrugged. I felt a pang in my chest- All that time....all those memories....and I knew nothing of it.

"William." He looked over his shoulder at me and I locked eyes with him. "I want to get my memories back. Does....does Willow know how to do that?"

"Red knows a lot of things. I'm sure she can figure something out." The blond gave me a reassuring smile while gently touching my cheek.

"I'm sorry for the pain I've put you throug-"

"Don't." William cut me off, turning on the rock as sat on to face me. His hands held mine as the cool river water rushed past. "I'm just glad you're okay. It's not your fault this happened, Aud, so don't apologize."

"....We should get back to the beach soon. Jugar's probably wondering where I ran off to."

"Jugar." The vampire scoffed while rolling his eyes. "What, he your babysitter?"

"No, he's my friend." I chuckled while softly pushing his shoulder. "He's the one that found me in the forest, took me to Elder Durga."

"You sure that's all it is?"

"Why? Are you the jealous type?"

"No." He scoffed again.


	117. When Asked

Not even a minute after I stepped onto the beach was I grabbed and drug back towards the treeline. My head whipped around to look, and I saw Jugar with a stern expression as he firmly held onto my bicep. For some reason he looked displeased, angry even, as he was staring down at me.

"What?" I quirked up a brow and Jugar huffed through his nose.

"Why the _fuck_ does that vampire have your scent all over him?" He was practically growling as he spoke lowly and I felt my ears turn back as I cleared my throat. "And why....do you reek of _arousal_?" 'Guess we should have stayed in the river longer....'

"About that....um, so apparently....he's my mate."

" _What?!_ " Jugar bared his teeth, hissing as he spoke and my tail twitched.

"He's my mate."

"Nonnomen, how could you pair with some stranger?! Of all the suitors on the island, you choose _him_?!"

"I didn't! We were mated before I even came here! Jugar, what's gotten into you?"

"How do you know he didn't lie to you? Fuck, do you not realize what you've done?! You _don't_ know him, Nonnomen. You have _none_ of your memories!" Snatching my arm from the larger Ustrina's grip, I flashed my fangs at him.

"My name is Aud, Jugar! And you don't know him- I may not remember anything, but the bond was there. He didn't lie to me."

"Oh, your name is Aud, now, is it? You've been Nonnomen for the past year, and suddenly, when these strangers show up, you're already turning your back on it and all of us?" He growled and my tail swayed with agitation.

"I'm not turning my back on anything. Will you just listen to me? William is my mate, and that didn't just happen, he didn't trick me, he didn't lie. Ever since he got here I've been feeling the bond. I can't deny the truth- Sure, I didn't know that it was the mate bond I was feeling at first, but I know now. He's my mate, Jugar. Whether you like it or not, what's done is done."

"He's not even our kind! He's from another world! He's _weak_!" Jugar waved his hands and my ears flicked forward.

"Who cares what he is, and how do you even know he's weak?"

"For one, he's tiny. Two, he's a vampire- whatever the fuck that is. Third, he _burns_. Fourth-"

"So you're just assuming and stereotyping." I crossed my arms and Jugar looked at me like I was stupid.

"You can't call him your mate if he's not even your mate."

"But he is!"

"Not."

"And why is that?" I growled and the Ustrina bared his teeth.

"He's unworthy. He has no clan marks, no symbols of status. He's given no display, and he's _not_ an Ustrina Augendae."

"But he _is_ my mate. Jugar, he's a good man-"

"You don't even know that!" He hissed, waving his arm towards the beach. "You have no memory of anything before here-"

"Say what you will, it doesn't matter either way. Even _if_ he wasn't my mate before, he is now without a doubt. The bond has been established and fortified." Jugar's shoulders tensed now that I had actually admitted to having sex with William. I could understand why Jugar was so upset- he was trying to protect me and he knew absolutely nothing about these newcomers.

The large Ustrina spun on his heel and went down the beach, going straight for one of the bonfires.

"Shit!" I hissed under my breath, seeing that he was going right for William. The blond didn't even have time to really process what happened after Jugar grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Quiet spread from the fire outwards as the blond went down after Jugar had punched him.

The music even died out from the shock and turning heads- Jugar was displaying aggressive body language as he looked down at the vampire. William spit blood into the sand before looking up at the larger man towering over him.

"Ah, I know that posture. So, what'd I do to piss you off, mate?" He hopped to his feet, touching his busted lip with gentle fingers and it took everything I had not to attack Jugar after seeing the blond bleeding. Jugar, instead of answering, swung for the vampire again, and to everyone's surprise, the hit missed.

William chuckled after bouncing back to avoid being punched again. Something glinted in his eyes as his tongue ran over his bottom lip and Jugar went for the blond again. The vampire....he moved in a way similar to the way I did when fighting, taking Jugar by surprise. However, the vampire wasn't as fast or as strong as me, so it didn't take long for his combat advantage to disappear against the full blooded Ustrina.

The blond held his own fairly well, but it wasn't enough against this demon and I intervened, tackling Jugar to the sand while baring my teeth. The cluster of Ustrina Augendae around us were shocked even more by my behavior, and Jugar looked me dead in the eye.

Jugar wasn't going to fight me, he may be stronger and faster, but my skills trumped both of those things. And after seeing Spike fight I now knew my odd fighting style came from the other world.

"Nonno-"

"Aud." I corrected, my face firm and Jugar glanced to William as the blond was spitting blood into the sand.

"Aud. I just want you safe." He mumbled low and my tense shoulders relaxed. Sighing through my nose, my harsh gaze softened.

"I know, Jugar. But you need to trust me. Give him a chance."

~

My tail slowly swayed as my legs dangled over the edge of the tree branch. Light was creeping into the sky, bright reds and oranges slowly pushing the dark of night back as I had my attention on the necklace I had with me when I landed on the beach here. It had a large red stone with a golden chain, and it had been the only thing I really had left from the other world.

Birds were chirping in the trees, and I was tempted to wake William to ask him about the pendant. Staying where I was instead, I'd just wait until he came walking out onto the branch. It was getting brighter and brighter and slowly the others were beginning to wake up and go about their daily routines.

"Hey, Aud!" Looking up, I saw Willow smiling down at me before her face suddenly fell and she got closer to my side. "Aud, where did you get that?"

"This? Why?"

"I'm pretty sure this is how you got here." The redhead pointed to the pendant and I quirked up a brow. "It's-It's magical. It let's you travel between worlds and dimensions." She started smiling again. "Aud, we can go home sooner than we thought."

"But...." She saw my expression and placed a hand onto my shoulder.

"Look, this means you can go home. It also means you can come back whenever you want. As long as you have this pendant, you can come and go between here and there as you please."

"Are you serious?"

"All you have to do is think about where you want to go."

"That's....that's it?"

"That's it. Everyone's going to be so happy to see you again." Willow chuckled. "And this means you don't have to leave all of this and Jugar for good." She waved her hand to the pendant and then to the village.

"I'd like that." I mumbled, running my thumb over the red stone. "I know you keep calling the other world my home but....this is my home. It's all I know."

"We'll get your memories back. It'll all work out."

"Are you sure?"

"Aud, I know you. You always make it through things no matter what."


End file.
